Before You Wake
by emotional-static
Summary: Post RENT. When Roger and Mimi's daughter returns to seek some answers from her father, little does she know that the things she's about to hear aren't what she expected. --COMPLETE WITH EPILOGUE--
1. 01

One Week

Part One

**Disclaimer: **All credit belongs to the late Jonathan Larson. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful production as RENT for us to enjoy.

**Summary: **Nineteen years after her birth, a familiar face returns to seek some answers from Mark.

**A/N: **Before I begin, I'm Mari and this is the first story I've ever posted under here, although not the first story I've written for this fandom. I've seen RENT on Broadway twice previously, and I'm going to see it a third time next month. It gets kind of addicting after awhile doesn't it? =) I hope you all enjoy, and comments would be wonderful. This is set half in the future (2017) and half in the past. 3

*//

March 2017 

"Jay, you're crazy. You can't haul your ass to New York City, especially by yourself—"

Nineteen year old Jaylynn Davis stood in the middle of her apartment, silently fuming as she threw the remainder of her clothes into her large, overstuffed duffel bag. 

"I'm going Michelle. I have to. I owe it to myself before I, you know…" Jaylynn trailed off, twisting a strand of her highlighted hair around her finger.

"Die?" a voice groaned from the doorway, kicking in a large cardboard box.

"Chris, you're such a shithead. That's really compassionate!" Michelle shouted. She walked over and punched Chris on the shoulder, emitting a glare from an already pissed off Jaylynn.

"He's right, you know," Jaylynn argued, throwing her duffel bag by the doorway.

"Dammit, Jay, you talk about everything like you're the only one in this room who's HIV positive!" Michelle stated loudly, motioning to Chris.

"Believe me, if anyone has death knocking on their door, it would be me, thank you very much. You, Jay, are as healthy as my great uncle Bart who will be 100 next month," Chris added. Michelle rolled her eyes as Jaylynn laughed. Leave it to Chris to pathetically attempt to lift their spirits.

"I'll just take that as a compliment," Jaylynn said.

"Just be thankful you didn't screw up your life with drugs like I did!" Chris grinned, pretending to fake his own death.

"What a going away party," another voice shuffled through the poor excuse for a door.

"You know it," Chris whispered, opening an eye briefly and then dramatically "dying" once again.

"Matt, you're just in time to join our pity party—you know, the one where Jaylynn falls into her own despair and Chris dramatically jokes around about it," Michelle sighed, handing more clothes to Jaylynn.

"I'm going away for a week, tops. I'll be back in DC before you can say—"

"DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD!" Chris screeched, still lying motionless on the floor. 

"Please take him with you?" Matt whined, pretending to kick his best friend in the side. 

"I guess that's it then. You have everything, right?" Michelle asked. Jaylynn nodded and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and surveyed the room one more time. 

"Do I get a hug goodbye? Or do I have to beg?" she asked, laughing as Chris quickly stood up and sprinted over to her. He engulfed her in a huge bear hug.

"Someone made a fast recovery. I thought you were a goner…okay Chris, cutting off all oxygen," Jaylynn stuttered.

"Sorry. Love you baby girl," he said, blowing her a kiss. Matt followed suit and gave her a hug, then plopped back down on the couch, waving sadly. 

"Do you guys think you can prevent burning the house down or throwing any wild parties in the time it takes for me to drive Jay to the train station?" Michelle retorted sarcastically.

"Yes, mommy," Matt stated. Jaylynn waved at them both before shutting the door behind her and Michelle.

"CALL ME, BABY!" Chris shouted after her.

*//

You had to admit, they all made an odd pair. Jaylynn had met Michelle in high school and they had instantly bonded, enough to follow each other to college in DC. Jaylynn had met Chris in college, and after months of begging, he had moved into their apartment. Matt was Chris' best friend, and moved in with all of them after he was shoved on a waiting list for dorm housing.  

Jaylynn threw her duffle bag in the backseat of Michelle's Explorer, then hopped in and waited for Michelle.

"You sure about this?" she asked, sticking the key in the ignition and backing out of the parking deck.

"Stop asking me. Yes, I'm sure," Jaylynn muttered, frustrated at Michelle's attempts to keep her home.

"But you have everything? Your train tickets, extra money, credit cards, pills, cell phone? All the information on this guy? Are you sure he even still lives there?"

"Even if he doesn't, there has to be someone who knows where he is, don't you think?" Jaylynn responded, trying to shut Michelle up. She took out a piece of paper from her jacket pocket and started to read. "CyberArts, 11th Street and Avenue B, New York City. Happy now?" 

"CyberArts? Is that the name of the apartment building?" Michelle asked, turning into the parking lot for the station. With all the torture that Michelle was giving her, Jaylynn probably could have walked the 10 blocks to the station but Michelle insisted on seeing her off instead.

"It's what it says, doesn't it?" Jaylynn replied through gritted teeth.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm being a shitty best friend right now, aren't I?" Michelle laughed, giving Jaylynn a tight hug.

"Kind of," she joked, hugging her back.

"See you in a week?" Michelle winked, handing Jaylynn her duffle bag.

"It's been one week since you looked at me…" Jaylynn sang, shaking her head at the song choice. Barenaked Ladies. God, that song was old. She remembered it from somewhere, but couldn't place her finger on it. Shrugging, she waved as Michelle drove away.

*//

An agonizing four hours later, Jaylynn had finally arrived in Penn Station.

"Thank god," she said to herself, squeezing past the old lady she had to sit next to on the train. All she had been hearing for the past few hours were the names of her twelve grandchildren and five great grandchildren, along with every goddamn thing they had ever accomplished in their lives.

After struggling through the massive crowds, Jaylynn finally had a chance to hail a taxi. Shoving her suddenly heavy bag next to her, her alarm on her watch began to beep, causing her to jump about five feet in the air.

"Yo lady, we goin' somewhere today? You got a destination?" the driver spat, chewing his gum loudly.

"Yeah, CyberArts Building, 11th Street and Avenue B," she replied. A nervous feeling had startled to settle in her stomach as she downed her pills with the water bottle stowed in her bag, remembering that she probably should have taken them with food as well. Great, so she'd show up and puke all over his doorstep. Fantastic. Staring out the window, she drummed her fingers along the window as she drilled the already memorized information into her head. Mark Cohen. "Hi, Mark Cohen? I'm Jaylynn Davis, remember me?" It sounded horrible to her. Before she knew it, the cab had slowed to a stop in front of an industrial looking building. 

"'Hey Princess, 11th and B right here," the driver stated in a menacing tone. Jaylynn paid the cab driver and stood in front of the building for a good twenty minutes before actually attempting to move. A faded sign above read "CyberArts: Studio and Residential Lofts. A little to the left hung a sign that read "Office". She figured that would be the best place to start. Opening the glass door cautiously, she noticed a businessman in his late thirties to early forties holding a heated discussion on his office phone. She approached the desk and absentmindedly started tapping her fingers. She must have annoyed the man because he covered the end of the phone and glared at her.

"Can I help you with something? You here about the rent?" he questioned, looking her up and down.

"Uh, no. I'm actually looking for someone—"

"I don't do favors for free…hold on a second," he snapped into the phone.

"Okay—"

"Kidding. It was a joke. Anyway, I'm Benjamin Coffin the Third. Call me Benny. All the other shits, I mean tenants, around here do," he stated, sticking out his hand for Jaylynn to shake.

"Jaylynn Davis…pleasure," Jaylynn added, plastering a fake smile on her face. 

"Yeah, hold on I have another call…Allison! Hey baby, yeah of course I'll be home for dinner tonight—" 

"Look, do you know anyone by the name of Mark Cohen?" Jaylynn questioned, frustraded at Benny's attempts to flat out ignore her. The name seemed to have  gotten his attention, because he automatically muttered an "I'll call you back" to the mystery caller and hung up.

"Lucky me, that name just so happens to ring a bell. He lives upstairs on the top floor with his girlfriend, fiancée, wife—who the hells knows who she is. Apartment 4D," Benny replied, eyeing Jaylynn's duffel bag.

"Great, thanks Benny," Jaylynn smiled. Benny shrugged.

"We should have some more people living here with your kind of attitude. The grumps here could take a lesson from it. Don't seem to like me too much," he complained, dialing away on his phone again.

'Couldn't blame them,' Jaylynn thought to herself, rolling her eyes. She walked in the direction that Benny was pointing to from his desk and climbed the metal stairs, checking out the building with each step. It was decent—liveable at least. Kind of made her miss DC even more. Reaching the top floor, she found herself staring apartment 4D right in the face. She had two options. She could either knock and face the Mark Cohen who she barely remembered, or take the 7 PM train back to DC. 

It was now or never, and with the last bit of courage she could gather, Jaylynn knocked.

The door… 

*//


	2. 02

One Week

 Part Two

**A/N:** Since this story's set in the future, I estimated Mark to be around the age of 43. This story also takes place in a week, hence the title "One Week". Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys rock. 3

_Monday-_

_Mark's POV—_

_*//_

The door… 

"DAD! Door!"

I sat in my office for a minute, editing scripts as usual, when my thirteen-year-old daughter Nicole started hollering from the other room. Did she just say door? We rarely had visitors anymore, besides Maureen and Joanne, and it wasn't Thursday. They always stopped over for dinner on Thursdays to basically check up on me and find out how Nicole was doing with school. 

"Nic, don't shout, you're gonna wake up Roger," I yelled back. After a slight pause, I heard him shuffling around in the other room. 

"Too late," I heard him groan. Sighing, I shoved the scripts to the side and walked over in the direction of the door. Whoever it was could wait as long as it took for my ass to get to them. I heard Roger's light snores drone out the sound of the music Nicole was listening to as I flung the door open.  

"Yea?" I questioned, squinting down at the young girl standing in front of me. She looked familiar, with her dark curly hair complimenting her crystal blue eyes. It was definitely a strange combination. 

"Hi, um…are you Mark Cohen?" she asked. She was about my height, possibly a few inches shorter. I nodded, impatiently staring at her in the dim hallway light. 

"That's me—"

"I know you probably don't remember me, or if you do, you um, don't? God, I'm so bad at this. I'm Jaylynn—" she said, her sentences jumbling together. I didn't answer for a few minutes. We both kind of, I don't know, mutually stared at each other. Trying to remember. Trying to forget. This couldn't be the Jaylynn that Roger and Mimi brought into the world together, nor could it be the Jaylynn that eventually ended up with Roger's mom in Scarsdale when Roger became a junkie again after Mimi died fifteen years ago. Could it? I blinked a few times before she cleared her throat.

"Davis?" she tried. I could see she was desperately hoping that I could help her in some way. When I didn't answer, she started chewing on her lip and shifting from foot to foot. "Maybe…I thought…maybe I have the wrong person," she added.

"No! No, I'm Mark. Shit, I'm sorry; you must think I'm an asshole. I just, it's been awhile, you know?" I replied. I could immediately see some of the color come back into her face as she stepped into my loft. Roger's loft. Our loft. Whatever.

"Yeah, it has," she answered, setting her bag down by the door.

"So, um, how have you been?" I was so bad at this initiating conversation crap.

*//

Jaylynn's POV 

I barely knew him. I mean, he was practically a stranger, but he was a stranger that was asking me how I had been. That had to mean something, didn't it? Sure _Mark,_ for the past fourteen years of my life I've grown up without a mother, father, or any close family besides my grandparents. Oh yeah, and there's the little secret that never goes away, no matter how many people I can tell or how many doctors I go to. I was born HIV positive because both my parents were drug addicts. Great life story, huh? It's a lovely feeling when the only thing you know about your parents were that they were junkies.

"I've been okay. Surviving, I guess," I lied.

"Make yourself at home. Are you hungry? Thirsty?" he asked, heading towards the kitchen. I shook my head, although I was starving. I just wanted to get this over with as fast as humanly possible. He nodded and sat down, his eyes darting back and forth to a room across from the couch. 

"Look, I don't want to bother you anymore than I already have, but I came all the way from DC to basically ask you some questions. Find out some answers about my parents. I know I probably don't have that much time left, but I feel like I owe it to myself to know and cope with everything then to die wishing I had tracked you down," I started, noticing Mark contently listening. He probably had been preparing himself for this, for me, for a while now. I heard a door open and close softly, and Mark quickly looked over his shoulder. A girl in her teens, dressed fully in a leotard and sweatpants was standing off to the side, staring at me with a confused look on her face.

"Dad? Who are you talking to?" she questioned. She plopped down on the couch next to him, still staring at me. Jesus, why do people feel the need to stare at me all the time?

"Nicole, this is Jaylynn. She's an old friend," he added. 

"Hi," I smiled. Nicole smiled back.

"You're pretty. I don't mean to stare, but you have a dancer's body. Great turnout. Do you dance?"

"Thank you, and yes, I actually used to dance, ballet," I replied. At least she had an explanation for the staring. Most people didn't. A knock on the door sounded a few seconds later, and I jumped slightly in the worn out chair I was sitting in. Nicole bounced over to answer it. I looked over and noticed a woman in her late thirties standing in the doorway, dressed in a white strapless dress and matching stilettos. She looked important, almost as if she continually had somewhere important to go. Her light blonde hair was twisted into a knot at the back of her head, and a smile adorned her face. At least she looked approachable. 

"Hi sweetheart, ready to go?" she asked. She poked her head in some more and smiled warmly at Mark and I. "Hi Mark," she stated. I could see the spark in her eye when she said his name, even from across the room. There had to be something there.

"Jackie," he said, trying to avoid her stare. It was a little odd, but I didn't want to think anything of it. It wasn't my place. I barely remembered the guy, let alone remembered him well enough to go prodding in his personal life.

"We'll be back around seven. Need anything from the store?" 

"No, we're good, thanks," Mark answered. I kind of wished she would leave. I just wanted to get my questions answered and hopefully find a cheap hotel to stay in for the night.

"Okay. How is he?" Jackie continued, lighting a cigarette. I hated smokers. 

"He's sleeping. I think this might be the last stage. He goes to the doctor's on Wednesday. I'll know for sure then," Mark stated. Jackie blew out a smoke ring and nodded.

"If there's any change, let me know, okay? Please don't hesitate Mark. I know things may not be great between us, but I love him as much as you do," Jackie motioned for Nicole to leave, and softly closed the door behind them.

 "Sorry—"

"It's okay. I just want to know everything. Anything you want to tell me, at least," I added. 

"Before I do that, let me ask you an honest question. What do _you_ know about your parents?"

"I know that they were junkies and they were both HIV positive. So am I," I replied. I didn't know a whole lot. Mark nodded, almost as if trying to figure out where to begin. "I just want to know their names. Their names, and why everything happened the way it did," I added shortly after.

"Roger and Mimi. " Mark paused briefly, lost in thought. 

"I know—I know there's so much I don't know, and I don't really want to bother you with everything in one day. It's just overwhelming, to me, and it must be really hard on you. I mean, I don't clearly remember living here or you, for that matter, but I just feel at peace when I'm here. It's just really comforting to me," I added. Great, now I'm making this sound like a soap opera. "I know they've both been dead for years now, and I don't want to upset you any more than I already have. I should probably go for today, I still have to find a decent hotel around here," I trailed off. Mark was staring at his hands. A dead silence filled the air, the only sound coming from the buzz of the heater.

"That's not all true," he said. I looked up at him.

"What's not true?" I questioned, confused by his tone of voice.

"Your dad, he's, well—"

"Dead? Yeah, I know," I replied. I had no idea where Mark was going with this.

"Not exactly. He's well…alive. God knows what made him hold on for this long, but he's sleeping in that bedroom," Mark pointed. My eyes followed.

"How…is that possible? I mean, the doctors—" This wasn't possible. You had ten years minimum, less if you were exposed to more diseases. Fifteen years was considered a lucky shot. You could die at the drop of the hat. The doctors tried to make their predictions, but you honestly had no way of fully knowing. You gave every day everything you had.

"We always thought Collins would be the one to last this long. Collins was our backbone after Mimi—your mother, died. He pulled Roger through a second bout of withdrawal and then one day he just stopped doing the things he loved to do. Not because he gave up, but because he physically couldn't. He was too tired to teach. He couldn't stand long enough to walk to the Life Café after another one of Maureen's shows. Your dad surprised us all. I think he's been holding on for you. He's wanted to write you, see you for years now, but he just never—he didn't think it was his place," Mark finished with a lump in his throat. 

"Okay," I couldn't physically say anything else. In reality, I was pissed. Upset. Even a little distraught. Mark started rambling on and on about people and places and _things_ that I had little to no recollection of. Come to think of it, I remembered Mark and Collins. They were the two people that stuck out in my memory the most compared to all the other names that had been floating around. I tucked my legs under myself and sat there, chewing on my lip again. I was lost in my thoughts until my stomach growled hungrily. I checked my watch. It was nearly 5 PM, and I hadn't eaten anything all day. Mark must have heard, because he laughed. If he hadn't laughed at exactly that moment, I think we both would have broke down in front of each other.

"You must be pretty hungry, plus I know it's definitely not a good thing to take your pills on an empty stomach," he added, walking over to the phone on the wall. "Chinese takeout okay?"  
  


"Yeah. Can I make a phone call somewhere?" I questioned. Mark nodded and placed the order. I slipped into a room that resembled an office and shut the door behind me. I slid to the ground and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, dialing Chris' number. Everything was starting to hit me, and it was like a sledgehammer crashing down on my skull.

"Pick up dammit," I whispered, resting my head on my knees. 

"Christopher Walker's summer home. Some are home, some are not," he stated goofily. I didn't answer right away. "Hello?"

"Hi," I replied meekly. 

"Jay? Where are you? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Typical Chris to ask fifty questions.

"I'm here. At Mark's apartment," I started tracing circles into the hardwood floor.

"How is he?"

"He's nice. It's hard. It's really hard, Chris," I whispered, starting to cry. I tried to muffle my sobs, not wanting Mark or _Roger_ to hear them. "My dad's not dead," I added, wiping my eyes on my sleeve.

"What? Is that possible? Have you talked to him?" 

"No. He's sleeping. I don't know—I don't think he has much time left," I finished. A soft pause followed, and I could hear some ruffling on the other end. "What are you doing?"

"Packing. I'm taking the 7 PM to New York City. I should be on your doorstep by midnight latest,"

"Thank you. Just you, okay? I don't really think I could handle Michelle right now," I tried to laugh. 

"I know. I'll see you in a few hours. I love you," Chris added, before I was hit with the dial tone. I took a few minutes to calm myself down and then opened the office door slowly. Mark was sitting at the island in the kitchen, scribbling something down on some sheets of paper. Not quite sure what to do with myself, I leaned against the wall. Mark noticed and smiled, tapping the barstool next to him.

"I don't bite, but I can get pretty annoying. Just ask your dad," he laughed. I smiled, twisting my thumb ring. The food should be here within the hour, that is, if they don't get lost, although they should have us on speed dial by now," he finished. Mark was a great person to be around. He just knew exactly what to do to make you feel comfortable.

"Thanks. It's just a lot for me to take in, and plus what I don't already know, which I'm assuming is a lot—well Chris, my friend, well sort of boyfriend, from DC is taking a 7 PM train to New York City to be with me—for moral support…" There I went with the babbling. Mark seemed to overlook it.

"It's not a problem. You both can stay in the office. The couch in there is an old pullout," 

"I could just go to a hotel…I mean…" I suggested, even though a part of me really wanted to stay here.

"Are you kidding? Me, put you up in a hotel? Maybe you really should have eaten something before you took your pills," he laughed, stacking his papers together. I was about to get up to drag my duffel bag to the office when I stopped and turned around, staring at him.

"Hey Mark?"

"Yea?"

"It's okay to be scared, right? I mean, scared of meeting my dad, and scared to die, right?" I questioned. I automatically felt stupid, but I admit it did feel a whole hell of a lot better to get out then keep it in.

"I'm even scared to live sometimes. And yeah, fear is a normal part of life," he responded. I nodded briefly before I walked away.

"Thanks Mark, for everything. Even everything I don't know about yet—"

*//

I spent the next hour unpacking and thinking. There was a small, empty dresser in the corner by the frosted window, so I decided that I'd claim the top two drawers and Chris could have the bottom two. I stopped checking my watch twenty minutes ago, finally realizing that midnight would come when it wanted to. A knock at the door interrupted my packing, and I realized that Mark was standing there watching me.

"Food's here, and I just wanted to let you know that you can go and see him, if you want. I mean—I understand if you need to take your time, but I know it would mean a lot to him," Mark softly walked away, his footsteps echoing on the floor. I was only a room away. I knew what I had to do. Before I could chicken out, I stepped out of the office and paused briefly. Almost as if he had sensed it, Mark pointed to the room in the middle of the loft. I turned and gripped the doorknob lightly, half expecting it to burn my hand. I opened the door slowly, ignoring the creak it made, then shutting it behind me. The room was larger than it appeared, and messy. A dusty Fender guitar sat in an adjacent corner along with a music stand and scattered sheet music. I tiptoed over to it and flipped through the sheets, pausing on "Musetta's Waltz". Absentmindedly, I started humming the notes. It was beautiful and haunting, matching the atmosphere of the room. I placed the music back down and decided to sit on the edge of his bed. _Roger_ was pale, and thin, but his bleach blonde hair caused me to smile. He looked like he was in a light sleep, judging from the snores he emitted. I didn't know what else to do, so I figured I could talk to him for a little while before Mark came to check on me. 

"Hi Dad. Wow, that sounds completely foreign. Dad, it's Jaylynn. I don't know what to say, but I want you to know that I'm here. I came back. I wish I could have met my mom, and I was hoping when you feel up to it, you could tell me about her?" I stopped then, because the tears were flowing freely down my cheeks. I placed my hand in his and kissed it lightly. I quickly left the room, closing the door. Mark was waiting outside. He handed me a tissue and gave me comforting hug.

"You did great—"

*//

After I ate and took my pills, I told Mark that I was going to go lie down for a while. He said it was fine.

"_Dammit, Mark! What do you expect me to say to her? I was a shit excuse for a father and I know she forgives me but it doesn't change anything!"_

_"Roger, be quiet! She can hear you, you know! Why don't you say it to her instead of me? You're so goddamn stubborn sometimes!" _

"Fine, then maybe I will! You're such a fucker Mark," 

My eyes drifted open briefly at the shouting. I heard the office door open slowly. I quickly shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep again. I didn't need the confrontation right now. 

"Hi Jay, I know you're sleeping right now and—" he paused a little, coughing, "god, you look just like your mom and I'm sorry, I just want you to know I'm sorry for letting you go. I love you, and I never stopped. I just don't want you to hate me forever—" Roger paused, and I felt him lightly kiss the top of my forehead. The door slammed shut behind him.

This was all just fantastic. Nothing was getting solved easily. Huffing angrily, I propped myself up on one arm and stared out the window. I couldn't hate someone I barely knew, and I didn't expect to leave here with a father. I hadn't had one for a good chunk of my life, and I find it hard to believe that a week can patch things up between us. Technically, he wasn't even supposed to _be _alive, but…

But what?

So he beat the odds, and I should be happy, right? It's what I wanted all along, isn't it? The chance to meet him, even if for a minute, just to know he was alive.

He was alive, and so was I. No day but today, right?

Right? 

*//

I don't think I slept as much in one day as I slept waiting for Chris to arrive. I kept drifting in and out of consciousness, checking my watch and watching the minutes past by. At approximately half past midnight, I heard voices in the loft whispering to each other. I turned over, facing the door. It opened seconds later.

"Jay—"

"What time did you get in?" I questioned, stifling a yawn. Chris flung his duffel bag into the corner and automatically joined me on the worn in bed. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head, wrapping the comforter around us. 

"Ten minutes ago. You didn't hear me talking to Mark?" he asked. I shook my head no and curled into him, resting my head finally on his chest.

"I think I fell asleep again," I added. Even in the dark, I could see his forehead scrunch up in concern.

"Do you feel okay? You're not getting sick on me are you?" he laughed.

"I'm already sick," I pointed out, playing with his blonde spiked hair.

"Let's not talk about that right now, okay? Mark said we can stay here as long as we need to," he said. I knew he was trying to change the subject. We didn't say much of anything for a good twenty minutes.

"You know what? We should get married," Chris blurted out. I glanced over at him, not knowing whether he was being completely serious or acting like a moron.

"We're sick," Hello, Chris? We're _dying_. 

"Jaylynn Davis, cut it out with that shit okay? I'm just as sick as you are—"

"This is romantic," I laughed. Chris shrugged.

"Hey, what can I say. I'm a romantic guy?

"I'm going to sleep," I replied, flipping on to my stomach.

"Did you just turn me down?" he asked. I could feel him pout next to me.

"No—"

"Did you say yes?"

"No—"

*//

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed and the smell of bacon. I looked down and noticed that I didn't even change out of my clothes last night. Sighing, I pulled out a hoodie and a pair of jeans and attempted to tame my curly hair. With no luck, I decided to just throw it half up and half down and traipsed into the kitchen. The whole loft was like one big room. The kitchen and living room weren't even divided. The only things that were separated were the bedrooms. From a distance, I saw Mark, Roger, and Chris sitting at the island, eating, talking, and laughing. I walked over and sat down next to Chris, who placed his hand in mine under the table.

"Morning," Mark greeted, placing a stack of pancakes and bacon in front of me. Roger was just kind of—staring at me. I felt like telling him to stop being an asshole, but I resisted the urge.

"Your mom used to wear her hair like that," he said, pushing his food around his plate.

"Oh—" I replied. My fork clattered loudly on the plate. Mark noticed the tension and cleared his throat loudly. He attempted to talk about hockey, but Chris was the only one enthusiastically contributing to the conversation.

"Maybe you should tell me about her," I shot back, more angrily than I should have. The conversation ceased. I could see Mark debating whether or not he should step in to play peacemaker.

"Maybe later—" I cut him off.

"How about now? I didn't come here to sit and pretend like everything's okay. Maybe someone could _fucking_ tell me what the hell I've missed since my parents just ran off on me," I spat. Chris rubbed my back softly.

"You wouldn't understand!" Roger shouted, slamming his hand on the table. Mark decided to use this moment to jump in.

"Roger!" he growled, glaring at him.

"What wouldn't I understand?! Then why don't YOU tell ME so I do understand!" Roger crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at me. 

"I'll tell you," Mark spoke up. I looked at him, shaking with anger.

"Fine. Since my own _father_ doesn't have the balls to," I retorted, glaring back at Roger.

"Enough!" Mark yelled. "I guess I should start with Christmas Eve, 1996—"

*//

We begin … 

A/N: Well, isn't Roger the feisty one? Okay, okay, he probably should be not…alive during this time period, but for the sake of my creativity and my plot, he is. There's eventually a point to it. On a sidenote, I'm going to Richmond on Thursday, so I'll try and post another part before I leave but I can't guarantee I'll have time. I'm not even packed yet. =(


	3. 03

One Week

Part Three 

A/N: Okay, so before I get this started, I'd like to apologize for the delay. I was in Richmond for the weekend, but I'm back and definitely have time to update as much as I want. Right now I'm just going to break down how I'm going about with the story. I haven't really decided how I want to break up the story, but the next few chapters will take place in the past, where you will start learning how Jaylynn came to be (heh, okay well that's kind of obvious, but you KNOW what I mean, and if anyone doesn't know how or where a baby comes from, you can always ask me and I'll clear that right up for you! Moving on…). With that said, any chapters set in the past will take place after the finale of RENT, meaning that this chapter is set close to three weeks after Mimi comes back to life. I decided not to incorporate the actual play into my story because I know I'd probably get bored with writing all the events that most, if not all of us know already because we've seen the show. Again, if you need any clarification, don't hesitate to comment or email me and let me know. I'll be introducing a few new characters, including someone from Mark's past and also Roger's. I will be stopping to jump back to Jaylynn, because the story ultimately revolves around her. I'd suggest that you read the author's note before each chapter just to know what time period we're set in to avoid any confusion, even if you desperately want to skip over it to get to the good stuff. =) I have Mark set at around the age of 23-24, and Roger at 25. Okay, and FINALLY I'd like to thank all my awesome reviewers for their compliments and for wanting to see more of my story. You guys rock. 3 Mari

*//

January, 1997 

"Christ, Mimi, what the hell do you have in here?" Mark groaned, leaning against the doorway of the dusty loft, currently a bad spot to be standing in. He dropped a heavy cardboard box marked 'Mimi's shit' at his feet and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. 

Mimi looked up from the coffee table, where she was unpacking another smaller box filled with photos and photo albums. Her normally curly hair was straight today, and tied back with a pale blue bandanna. She raised an eyebrow at Mark and shrugged.

"What's it say?"

"Mimi's shit," Mark read, pointing to the words scrawled in black sharpie. Collins could be heard laughing from the kitchen, where he was in charge of reorganizing the pots and pans that were never used. Mark slumped against the wall, starting to regret Mimi moving in, but Roger insisted, and he'd rather carry up boxes than argue with Roger again.

"This is the last of it," Roger said, entering the loft and automatically dropping the box before collapsing on the floor. Unfortunately for Mark, that box happened to land on his foot.

"Fuck! ROGER!" he shouted, attempting to move his foot from under the box. Instead of running over to help, Mimi had collapsed onto the couch in a fit of giggles. Roger stood up and picked up the box again, visibly smirking at Mark.

"Sorry," Roger added, before running over to sit down next to Mimi. Mark rolled his eyes before limping over to the kitchen. He found Collins scrubbing away at a frying pan. Mark heard giggles and then the slam of Roger's bedroom door before he started complaining.

"This is really going to suck," he whined to Collins, who was shaking his head and now leaning against the island.

"I don't really think it'll be _that_ bad Mark. I mean, Maureen and Joanne are downstairs, and I'm down the hall—"

"But you don't have to listen to them all night. It wouldn't be half bad if they would just take a fucking break from half of the shit they do, and you know what I mean by that so don't give me that look!" Mark yelled, opening the refrigerator door to be greeted with nothing. "And he was supposed to do the shopping this week, but did he do it? NO. Of course not. I'm so sick and tired of acting like his mother all the time, Collins. I had to pull him through withdrawal one time, and if he fucks up with Mimi again I'm not doing it. Not because I don't want to, but because I physically can not do it again," he added, pressing his head into the cool surface of the island. Collins rested a hand on his shoulder and the pair sat in silence before Roger's bedroom door flung open again and Mimi ran out, still pulling on her sweater, straight into the bathroom. Roger walked out and followed her.

"Serves him right—"

"Stop it," Collins reprimanded. "I'll talk to them if you want," he soothed. Mark shrugged and plopped down onto the couch. 

"I guess. Thanks Collins—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm just trying to figure out what the hell they're doing in that bathroom," Collins stated, motioning towards the door. Mark scowled and pulled a pillow over his face, shaking his head. "I didn't mean it like that!" he laughed. "You might want to check your messages one of these days. You only have about 15 of them," he teased, stealing the remote off the coffee table and flipping through the channels. Mark smacked the play button on the answering machine next to the couch and half listened, half ignored them. 

"Mark, this is your mother again. Aren't you ever home these days—" Mark poked the erase button.

"Hey, it's Benny. It's almost the 31st, and you know what that means! Money in my pocket—" Mark slammed the erase button a little bit harder that time.

"Easy there, Mark, you don't want to break it. Stop worrying, it's only the 25th anyway. You know how Benny is," Collins said, never tearing his eyes away from the television screen. The rest of the messages were either telemarketers or people Mark completely wanted to avoid. Resting his head against the sofa, he heard the bathroom door creak open and looked over. He saw Mimi shuffle out, followed by Roger. 

"Whoa, you guys okay? What'd he do to piss you off Mimi," Collins joked. Mimi shrugged and walked back into Roger's room, softly closing the door behind her. Roger opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it, and then sat down between Collins and Mark.

"Okay then," Mark retorted sarcastically. A few minutes passed by. Collins was watching _ER_, Roger was drumming his fingers against his knees, and Mark was dozing with his mouth open.

"She threw up—"

"Who threw up? The girl on TV? Yeah, I know. This show is awesome," Collins said, completely engrossed in the wonder that is _ER_. Mark was still dozing, now emitting soft snores.

"No, Mimi did," Roger stated, with a blank look on his face. Collins broke out of his trance and glanced at Roger.

"What do you mean? Did she take her AZT on an empty stomach again?" Collins questioned, his attention fully directed towards Roger.

"No, she ate something. We both did. She threw up this morning too," he replied, still drumming his fingers on his knees.

"Did they change her dosage? Sometimes it makes you sick. I know it made Angel sick," Collins suggested. Roger winced slightly at Angel's name, but shook his head.

"Nope,"

"There's that weird stomach virus going around now. Maureen had it last week and so did Joanne. I know Maur's been around here lately, so maybe she passed it along to Mimi," Collins reassured, his eyes passing from _ER_ to Roger. 

"Yeah, you're probably right, I'm sure it's nothing. She went to lie down, anyway. So what's up for tomorrow?" he prodded. 

"I've got a class tomorrow at 10. Then I'll probably go out to lunch with the usual crowd, grade papers. I was thinking about putting some fresh flowers on Angel's grave uptown. I haven't done that lately," Collins replied, looking lost in thought for a few seconds before gazing back at the TV.

"Mimi has her appointment at the clinic tomorrow, so I'll probably go with her," Roger said. He now was captivated by the TV with Collins.

"Well, when you're there, just make sure she mentions the fact that she's been feeling under the weather. I'm sure they can give you something for it that won't interfere with the AZT," he answered. Collins was definitely the backbone of their group. He was always there for advice, especially on HIV. He had been offered a job at the Life Support meetings but hadn't found the time to sit for a meeting lately, let alone lead one.

"Yeah, I will. I just worry about her sometimes. I'm afraid that she'll start using behind my back or something," Roger added, running a hand through his hair.

"She won't. I know her. I think she's too afraid to lose you," Collins replied. He turned off the TV and leaned back against the couch.

"Yeah, I know—Where's that knocking noise coming from? Roger added, now standing up and heading towards his room. "I better check on Mimi—"

"I think it's the door. Doesn't everyone we know have a key?" Collins added. He pulled on his coat. Roger mumbled something from inside his room. Collins then leaned over Mark and elbowed him in the ribs.

"What the fu—Collins, don't do that!" he growled, rubbing his side.

"Sorry buddy, you were sleeping and someone's banging at the door," Collins laughed.

"You're telling me you couldn't open the door? That I have to do it?"

"Pretty much, yeah—" Mark rubbed the sleep from his eyes and checked the clock. 9 PM. This better be worth it. He flung the door open so hard that he was surprised it didn't break off its hinges. 

"Yea?"

"Hi Mark—" Mark glanced out into the hallway. A girl with shoulder length, layered, light brown hair stood in front of him. She was dressed in jeans and an extra large sweatshirt, which swallowed her petite frame. She also appeared to have been crying, judging from the mascara streaks left on her cheeks.

"Lisa? What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Mark started questioning. He grabbed her arm and escorted her in, automatically enveloping her in a hug. 

"Yes…No…I don't know," Lisa replied, kicking her bags to the side. Mark pulled her over to the couch and sat her down.

"What happened? Why aren't you in Scarsdale?" Mark repeated. 

"Mark, I'm leaving!" Collins shouted. "Who's your friend?" He paused at the door, glancing at the two on the couch.

"Um, I'll tell you later. Bye," Mark replied. The door slammed shut and he could hear Collins' footsteps echoing down the hall.

"Mom and Dad kicked me out. Well, Dad did actually, but Mom didn't stop him either. It was so horrible, and of course they did it in front of Cindy, who didn't say a damn word to stop them—" 

"Why? Why did they kick you out?" Mark interrupted. He shifted slightly on the couch, holding Lisa's hand in his. 

"Please don't get mad or threaten to kick the shit out of someone, okay?" Mark raised his eyebrows slightly. This couldn't be good.

"O-ok…"

"Well, you remember David,?" Lisa said, dropping her voice a few levels.

"Yeah, of course I do. He's the asshole who left you for that slut Mandy…what about him?"

"Well, there was this party and—well you know—and I'm…pregnant?" Lisa finished in one sentence. Mark's mouth dropped open. Did she just say pregnant? His seventeen-year-old sister was pregnant? Mom and Dad must have had a field day with her. 

"What? How? I mean, how far along are you—but you're 17?" Mark questioned. Lisa shrugged and wiped at her eyes.

"Fifteen weeks, I think…" she swallowed, resting her head on the top of her knees. Mark let out a long breath and briefly closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it. 

"Okay. Okay. We'll get through this. Okay. Wow—" Mark had started pacing the room, talking to himself and very obviously was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Mark, sit down," Lisa moaned. Mark ignored her and still continued to pace the room. "Look, I don't want to burden you with my problems. I just—well I don't have anywhere else to go. MARK ELIJAH COHEN WILL YOU SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!" she shouted. Roger jerked his door open and stuck his head out, Mimi glancing over his shoulder. Mark stopped in his tracks.

"What the fuck is all the screaming about?" Roger yelled out. Mimi whacked him on his shoulder.

"Roger, shut up!" Mimi whispered. 

"What the fuck are you screaming about Roger Davis? And what the fuck did you do to your hair?" Lisa shouted, louder this time. Roger touched the tips of his bleach blonde hair, looking hurt.

"CAN WE ALL PLEASE STOP SHOUTING?" Mark interrupted. He shook his head and dropped face down into the couch, covering his head with pillows. 

"Lisa Cohen, what in the hell are you doing here?" Roger said, toning down his voice.

Lisa pulled her hair back and grinned slightly. "It's nice to see you too, Roger," she muttered. Falling on top of Mark, she started whacking him with pillows. "Mark, stop it okay? I don't want you to worry about me—I'll leave if you want," she added, collapsing at the other end.

"Don't do that—"

"Do what?" Lisa questioned. Mark sat up and fixed his glasses.

"You're not supposed to move around like that—and stuff," he blurted out, pointing at Lisa who was posed with a pillow in her hand, ready to either fling it at Mark or Roger.

"It won't hurt the baby, Mark. Maybe I shouldn't have even come here. It looks like you already have a full house," Lisa paused, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears. Roger, who had went in the kitchen with Mimi to take his pills, spat his water all over her at the mention of the word 'baby'. Mimi grabbed some paper towels in disgust and started wiping her shirt.

"Roger! That's gross!" Mimi scowled. Roger ignored this and instead walked back into the living room, where Mark was staring off into space and Julia was staring down at the floor.

"What baby?" When he didn't get an answer, he walked over in front of Mark and Julia, waving his hands. "Hello? What baby?" Lisa sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. 

"Lisa's," Mark whispered, noticing Mimi's expression from the kitchen. There was definitely something weird going on with Mimi lately, and he made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"Since when--?" Roger added, but stopped when he noticed Julia pointing to her stomach. "Oooh…"he froze. 

"Oooh…"Mark repeated sarcastically. Roger glared at him and smacked him on the back of the head. Mimi walked over and sat down on Roger's lap. Roger draped an arm around her waist and pulled the shabby blanket resting on the edge of the couch over them. A long silence followed. Mark sighed every few seconds, but Roger, Mimi, and Lisa said nothing.

"I'm Mimi, by the way," Mimi said. She had forgotten to introduce herself earlier before, and figured that it would probably be good if she said something to break the silence.

"Lisa, Mark's younger sister," Lisa replied. Mimi nodded, adjusting herself on Roger's lap.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen, eighteen in April. Yourself?" Lisa replied. Mark and Roger were still lost in thought.

"Twenty—"

*//

The group sat in silence for a good twenty minutes, until Mark finally perked up.

"Are you gonna go through with it?" he questioned, now turning his attention from the wall to Lisa. She nodded slowly, almost as if it pained her to do so.

"I don't really have a choice now. I mean, I did before, but I didn't know then. I didn't really know until a few weeks ago. I had to tell Mom and Dad, and they freaked out on me. Basically calling me a whore and saying that they weren't paying for a thing. Then they kicked me out," she finished. Mimi nodded and patted Lisa's hand.

"I know how you feel. My parents kicked me out when I was fifteen, because of drugs," Mimi added. Lisa looked a little reassured to have someone to relate to. Mimi seemed like an easy person to talk to. Roger didn't say anything, but moved his head a little bit.

"Does David know?" Mark asked. Lisa nodded again, but this time more slowly, almost as if she was embarrassed to be having this conversation with her brother.

"Yeah. I told him before I left. He actually apologized for it and gave me this," Lisa said. She pulled out an envelope out of the back of her pocket and tossed it to Mark. Curious, Mark ripped it open. Inside of it sat a check for two thousand dollars. Mark passed it to Roger, who passed it to Mimi, who then passed it back to Lisa. "His family said it's for "my utmost cooperation in this very disturbing matter", meaning that they'll give me money each month to shut me up and make sure I don't ruin the family name. Makes you feel loved, doesn't it? I was thinking about using the money he sends me for the baby—clothes, formula, bottles, diapers—you know. Hopefully my insurance will cover the doctor's visits and the hospital costs when I deliver and anything else," she finished. Mark nodded, still having a hard time taking in all this information. His sister was having a baby, and she sounded fully prepared to take on the task of being a mother. I mean, she just sat there and rattled off a whole list of baby shit. He was starting to get a splitting headache over his left eye.

"Okay. Wow, okay. So basically he doesn't want anything to do with you or his baby?" Mark added. He was trying desperately to sound supportive, even if he wanted to scream at everyone to leave him the hell alone. He had just gotten used to the idea of Mimi moving in, and now his sister shows up on his doorstep, pregnant, and looking for a place to stay? Where was he supposed to put all these people?

"No. His idea of parenting is sending fat checks each month. He can't have anything to stand in his way of going to Harvard Medical School, can he?" Lisa mocked, resting a hand on her stomach.

"Is this guy loaded?" Roger piped up.

"Rog, you know David Sergio—"

"That geek? Man, I hated that kid. I wanted to run him over with my car like—" Lisa half smiled, half frowned. "Oh, sorry Lisa—" he added quickly.

"Well, that geek's family is loaded," Lisa finished. Mark looked thoughtful, and then a minute later stood up.

"Well isn't this all types of fucked up," Roger responded.

"Well aren't we just Mr. Sunshine lately—" Mark cut him off.

"Cut it out, both of you. You're not helping Lisa by arguing," Mimi shot back. "I'm sorry you have to be influenced by the moron's who live here—"

"Well, this moron just so happens to be her brother," Mark spat.

"Don't make me call Maureen," Roger taunted. Mark rolled his eyes at him and Mimi grinned.

"What kind of threat is that?" Mark questioned. 

"She's got you whipped. W-H-I-P-P—"

"I think we can all spell whipped, Roger, but thanks for that little grammar lesson," Mark yelled out. "She's got Joanne whipped, not me, dumbfuck-"

"Who's Maureen and Joanne?" Roger opened his mouth to say something about Maureen, but shut it quickly when Mark shot him a look.

"Be nice, Roger—" he warned.

"Maureen's a performer. She wants to be an actress and is always putting on some type of crazy show in the lots on the corner. Benny hates it, and Maureen hates Benny, so it works out perfectly," Mimi laughed. Roger scowled at the mention of Benny's name. Mimi looked over and sighed. "Anyway, Joanne is Maureen's girlfriend, who happens to be a lawyer in uptown Manhattan. She basically covers public interest cases, I think. You'd have to ask her though," Mimi added quickly. Roger was still scowling about Benny.

"So who's Benny then?" Lisa asked. Roger coughed loudly and Mimi nudged him in the ribs. Mark shot him another look with 'behave' written all over it.

"Benny's the landlord. He can be a selfish, prick, asshole, but he can be a good guy. Sometimes," Mark added, just because Roger looked like he was about to rocket out of his seat in anger. "And Collins—" Mark was cut off by Mimi.

"You'll love Collins. Collins is the best," Mimi smiled. Lisa laughed.

"Okay," she agreed. 

"So where are we gonna put everyone?" Roger asked. "I mean, Mimi stays in my room, and Mark has his room, and then there's the spare room. I guess you could have that one, Lisa—"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I didn't even think about that yet. I'm sorry, Lisa," Mark apologized, grabbing her bags and starting to drag them to her room. Lisa followed him, leaving Roger and Mimi behind.

"Don't apologize, Mark. I shouldn't have sprung all of this on you right away. It was really stupid of me," Lisa added. Mark shook his head.

"No, it's not stupid of you. I'm glad you came to me instead of trying to live on your own. At least here there's people that can and want to help you. Don't worry about Mom and Dad, either. They'll come around on their own eventually. You're not alone, okay?" he comforted, giving her a hug.

"Thanks Mark, I appreciate this. You don't know how much I appreciate it," she smiled, starting to unpack her one duffel bag and her suitcase. Mark shrugged and started helping her, surprised at how little she had taken.

"I think you need to go out shopping—I mean you're eventually gonna need larger clothes—I mean—" Mark stuttered. Lisa laughed. 

"It's okay, Mark. I know I'm getting fat," she agreed.

"I probably could hook you up with Maureen and Mimi. I'm sure they'd want to take you out shopping. Mimi's good with the clothes, and Maureen would be great for the baby stuff. She has a niece who's about a year old, so I'm sure she could point you in the right direction," Mark added. Lisa nodded, yawning suddenly. Mark noticed and moved the duffel bag and suitcase off the bed. He then patted the bed and motioned for her to sit down. Lisa obliged and immediately curled up in a ball, shutting her eyes. 

"Lisa, have you been to the doctor? The only reason I'm asking is—well—Cindy had those prenatal vitamins and the whole nine yards on what to expect, so I was hoping we could find you a doctor around here?" 

"No, not really. I took one of those home pregnancy tests, but I've only been guessing from there," she replied, her eyes still shut.

"Okay. I'll find out for you and try to get you an appointment somewhere for tomorrow," Mark replied. Lisa mumbled something that sounded like an 'okay'. Mark took this as his cue to leave, and shut the door behind him.

 Mark spent the rest of the night flipping through the yellow pages and making lists for what Lisa would need for the baby. By midnight, he had decided that tomorrow morning he would take her to Mount Sinai in downtown Manhattan. He figured that would be his best bet, since most of the others were available by appointment only and he had no idea how long that would take. Mark took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration. He couldn't believe how much things had changed in a day, and now his loft was looking smaller than ever. Mimi was sick, Lisa was pregnant, Roger was grumpy, and Mark was upset with all of them. He could probably convert the office into a nursery and move his junk into Benny's old room, leaving all the rooms occupied but not cramped. Mark sighed and shuffled off to his room, hoping that a good night's sleep would clear his clouded head.

*//

The next morning, Mimi was up exactly at 7 AM and off to the bathroom. Mark had been sitting up since 6, writing down ideas for his next film. He winced as the door slammed and could hear Mimi violently puking her guts out. Roger walked out sleepily not long after, poured himself a cup of coffee and slumped down onto the couch. 

"She doesn't sound good," Mark said. He flung his legal pad onto the coffee table and took a sip of his tea.

"She's really miserable. She was tossing and turning all last night. I don't know what to do about it. She has her appointment at the clinic at 3, but I really wish I could get her somewhere sooner," Roger added, staring into his coffee cup. 

"I'm taking Lisa to Mount Sinai around 9, but if you want to go earlier I can get Lisa up and we'll go sooner," Mark suggested. 

"Yeah, I'll take Mimi. Do you think you could get Lisa up?" he questioned. Roger stood up and ran into his bedroom and changed into pants and his famous green sweater and exited the room about a minute later. Mark shook his head at him and laughed.

"Don't you ever get tired of wearing that sweater?"

"Don't start with me, Mark. Just get Lisa up, okay?" Roger barked. Mark glared at him. Roger was being a complete asshole lately.

"Roger—" Mimi's voice croaked from the bathroom. Roger stalked off, and Mark headed off to Lisa's room. He opened the door to find Lisa in a dead sleep, her one arm hanging off the bed and the other on her stomach. He automatically felt bad about waking her, but then his brotherly instincts took over and he jumped on the bed. Lisa shot up automatically and glared at him.

"You're such a dork, Mark. Don't do that, it'll make me sick you ass," she spat. Mark jumped down and handed her a shirt and pair of sweatpants.

"What, is it hate on Mark day today? Did I miss that memo? Watch out, Roger's being a real dick," Lisa motioned for him to turn around as she quickly changed. 

"I'll take care of him. Unless he wants to be bitched out by me, he better watch himself," Lisa snarled. 

"I'm glad I'm not Roger," he laughed. Lisa shot him a glare from the bed.

"You damn well better be thankful," she shot back. Mark backed up in mock horror, but was silenced when he saw how serious she looked.

"Look, Mimi's really sick. She's been throwing up since yesterday, and Roger doesn't want to wait until her 3 PM appointment at the clinic for her AZT refill. I was going to take you to Mount Sinai around 9 anyway to try and get you to see an obstetrician, but he wants to bring Mimi to the ER sooner," Mark replied, hoping he wouldn't get his head bit off.

"Okay—wait? AZT? Isn't that a medication for HIV? Mimi's HIV positive?" Lisa questioned. Mark paused. He swore he told her Roger was HIV positive when he came home briefly last summer, and Mimi had taken her pills in front of Lisa last night, so he automatically thought she knew.

"Shit, you mean I didn't tell you? Roger and Mimi are both HIV positive. I thought you picked up on it," Mark finished. Lisa was just staring at him. She shook her head.

"No, I had no idea. Okay—well I'm ready so, let's go?" she said. Mark noticed the change in her personality once she mentioned HIV, but didn't mention think anything of it. Lisa followed him out of the room into the living room. Mimi, who was very pale, was wrapped up in a blanket and was leaning against Roger, her eyes shut. Mark decided to just throw on a jacket over his pajama pants. The minute he did so, Roger was already up and supporting Mimi out the door.

*//

The subway ride took about twenty minutes, followed by a short two block walk. Mark held the door open for Roger, who was now holding Mimi in his arms, and Lisa. Mark approached the reception desk and smiled at the elderly secretary poised behind it. 

"Welcome to Mount Sinai, can I help you with something sir?" she questioned, noting all of their shabby appearances. Roger sighed loudly, looking irritated with all the waiting, but Lisa stepped on his foot. 

"Stop it, you're acting like a child," Lisa whispered through gritted teeth. 

"Hello? Mimi's sick, I think I'm entitled to act like an asshole," he replied, moving away from her.

"ACT like one? You are one—"

"Bitch—"

Mark shushed them both. "I'm looking for the emergency room and the obstetrics floor," he replied. The woman cleared her throat before speaking.

"The emergency room is right down to your left—" Before she could finish, Roger was half walking, half sprinting down the linoleum hallway. "—And the obstetrics and gynecology ward is located on the fifth floor. Take the elevators down to your right and follow the signs," she added with a warm smile.

"Thanks," Mark replied. Lisa led the way down the hall and pressed the elevator button. The doors opened automatically. 

"I hate the smell of hospitals. It's so gross," she muttered, making a face. Mark laughed.

"I hate the smell of hospitals, it's so gross—" Mark mimicked her in a girly voice. Lisa slapped him on the arm.

"Ow," Mark whined, rubbing his arm. "It's clean—"

"Yeah, well you deserve it," Lisa said. "It's still gross," she added as the bell dinged for the fifth floor. They followed the signs to a large, over decorated waiting room.

"Sit down and I'll get the paperwork," Mark ordered. Lisa shrugged and sat herself down in a nearby chair. She picked up the latest edition of 'People' and started flipping through it before glancing around the room. It was far from full. The only people in the chairs were a young couple with a toddler. Mark came back a few minutes later and handed her a clipboard and a pen.

"It's just preliminary insurance information. Your insurance should cover all the expenses—doctor's visits and hospital stays. I told them that you're fifteen weeks and haven't seen a doctor yet. The nurse said someone would be with you right away," he finished before stealing her magazine.

"Hey!" Lisa protested. 

"Fill it out," he bossed. Lisa rolled her eyes and started filling out all the information and turned it in. When she sat back down, she looked grumpy.

"What's up?" Mark asked, noting her moodiness.

"They wanted to know who the father was on the forms," she answered. 

"What did you put down?" Mark asked. He hoped she hadn't put that poor excuse for a human being down, but he couldn't make her decisions for her.

"I put down David Sergio, but skipped the contact information for him. The last thing I need is for them to be calling him and asking him a million and one questions. I mean, I'm planning on listing him on the birth certificate as well because I'm not going to stop my child from finding him when he or she gets older," Lisa said. She shrugged. She hated trying to explain herself.

"It's up to you. You could always take it off," Mark suggested. He grew bored with the 'People' magazine and put it back on the table. 

"Lisa Cohen?" A blonde nurse called out from reception. Lisa looked back and gave him a small smile before following the nurse out of the room. 

*//

Lisa followed the nurse down the hall into a small but appealing exam room. 

"Here, change into this, and Dr. Wilson will be right in to see you," she smiled, closing the door to give Lisa her privacy. Lisa quickly changed and sat down on the cold exam bed, chattering softly. She hated hospitals—absolutely everything about them. A few minutes later, a knock at the door sounded and the door opened. A woman in her mid thirties approached her, her bleach blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. She smiled warmly at Lisa and placed her chart and stethoscope onto the counter.

"Hi Lisa, I'm Dr. Wilson, but feel free to call me Heather. I understand that this is your first time seeing an obstetrician?"

"Yeah. I didn't really have time before," Lisa answered. Dr. Wilson nodded.

"You don't have to explain. I'm just glad you finally came to see on. It's extremely important that we monitor the baby's progress throughout the pregnancy," she added, motioning for Lisa to lie back on the exam bed. "You're seventeen, correct?

"Yep—"

"Okay. So let's start with an ultrasound and we can figure out how far along you are," Heather said. She rolled the ultrasound machine over to Lisa and lifted her shirt, spreading some of the gel on her small belly. She flipped off the lights and moved it around, trying to get a good picture.

"That right there—Is your fetus," She said, pointing to a blob about 3 ½ inches long. Lisa looked up and smiled. 

"Wow, it's so small," she replied, blinking a few times at the screen. Heather nodded and continued moving around for a bit. "Everything looks excellent, and I'd say judging from this ultrasound that you're about 16 weeks along, or roughly four months. I'm estimating July 14 as your due date, even though you could go sooner or later," She pointed out a few things on the ultrasound for Lisa before printing out the pictures. She wiped the gel off of Lisa's belly and allowed her to sit up before grabbing her chart off the counter.

"Okay, the pictures will be waiting for you at reception, so don't forget to pick them up before you leave. You're now in your second trimester, so morning sickness should subside greatly if it hasn't already. You'll probably feel achier, especially near your abdomen, because the uterus and your ligaments will be stretching to allow more room for the baby. You'll also probably feel the baby start to become more active, so look out for that as well. I'm going to prescribe you prenatal vitamins too. You might feel nauseous with them, but if you eat something before you take them you shouldn't feel too bad. I'd like to see you next month, and please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions, no matter how stupid you may think they seem, Lisa," Dr. Wilson smiled and collected her clipboard before exiting the room. Lisa quickly dressed back in her clothes and walked down the hall and back into the waiting room. Mark practically jumped out of his seat when he saw her at reception and immediately ran up to her.

"You're okay? The baby's okay?" he asked quickly, practically stuttering over his words.

"I'm fine, the baby's fine, can we just go back to the loft?" Lisa sighed. She pocketed her ultrasound photos and prescription and threw her jacket on, brushing past Mark and out the door.

She was so far down the hallway by the time Mark left the waiting room that he had to run to catch up with her. He grabbed her arm and tried to stop her.

"You are NOT fine, so stop pretending like you are," he shouted. Lisa whipped around and glared at him. 

"Fine, maybe I'm not fine! I'm pregnant, I'm cold, I'm hungry, and our parents hate me. You never told me Roger was dying, you barely came back to Scarsdale, and who do I run to? You, of all people. YOU. Mark Cohen, the legitimate worrier, dreamer, and aspiring filmmaker. Everybody turns to you with everything, and I feel like I'm this huge burden—that maybe I shouldn't be bothering you with all of my shit, my problems. In six months I'm going to be stuck with a baby—a baby that shouldn't be brought up in a world as fucked up as today's is—without a father or a real family. Guess what? In a few years Roger will be gone too. Who's next Mark? You? Are you going to walk out on me too when everything becomes too much to handle like you walked out of Scarsdale?" Lisa said. She hadn't realized that she was shouting until a few people poked their heads out of the adjacent doors and exam rooms. Her eyes had started to water and she started to rub furiously at them. When Mark didn't say anything, she turned the corner and angrily punched the elevator button. Mark followed her in silence. He had never seen Lisa act this way before, not even when they were growing up as kids. Roger and her had been close, but he never realized that him being sick would have this effect on her. He followed her into the elevator, and when it reached the ground floor he attempted to say something, but Lisa shrugged him off. 

Mark was going to wait around and see what was up with Roger and Mimi, but when Lisa blew up at him again he decided otherwise. 

"I was thinking we could wait around for Mimi and Roger—"

"You can. I'll take the subway by myself," she spat, not looking back at him. Mark debated whether or not to follow her, but then decided that it probably wasn't safe for her to stalk off by herself. 

*//

The subway ride back to Avenue B was completely silent, and it wasn't until Mark stuck his key in the lock that he attempted to say anything else. 

"Are you hungry?" he tried, but then remembered he didn't have much more that bread and milk in the loft.

"Nope," Lisa replied, tracing the patterns sewn into the couch.

"Thirsty?" 

"Nope—" Mark sighed and started making a grocery list. He was about halfway done when he remembered that he probably didn't have half the money to pay for all of the food. He looked up from the counter and noticed Lisa watching him.

"Did you put pickles on there?" she questioned, looking over his shoulder. 

"No—"

"Add it," she prompted. Mark shrugged and scribbled down 'pickles' under 'Tylenol'. Lisa sighed and sat down at the bar stool across from him.

"I'm sorry I went off on you before. I just don't want to lose anyone else, you know?" she said. Grabbing a piece of bread, she popped it into the toaster. Mark nodded.

"I'm not leaving, Lisa," he reassured her. She nodded slowly, before bursting into tears. Mark stood back for a second, contemplating how to handle this situation. He had two options: he could run and stick his head in the nearest hole, or he could stay and try to calm her down. Somehow, running was starting to sound like the best option, but instead he grabbed a few tissues and handed them to her. 

"Thanks," she sobbed. Mark shifted uncomfortably on his feet. This was going to be a really long six months.

*//

[A/N: I would have had this up last night, but FanFiction.net wasn't working last night and refused to let me post anything. I have no idea where my idea for Mark's sister came from, but it just popped into my head a few days ago and I decided to just go with it and see what turns out from it. I have a feeling this is going to turn into one crazy story.]


	4. 04

One Week

Part Four 

All right, and now for some personal review responses. 

RavenNat: Heh, thanks. It just seemed like a Roger appropriate line, being the grump he is (but we still love him anyway). Yeah, and before I named Mark's sister, I went through about five other names, and Julia was the one I had settled on before Lisa. I swear, I must have read it through about 10 times, but I guess I just looked over it. Ah, oh well. Sorry about that.

Kelby: Thanks for commenting, and I love your story by the way. =)

DevDev: Haha, I'm glad I made your day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Markys gurl: I hope I update enough to keep you sane! Thanks for the compliments. =)

To all my other reviewers from other chapters, thank you so so much for brightening my day by reviewing, and on with the story. Enjoy!

*//

Roger impatiently ran a hand through his already dishelved hair and sighed. Mimi was curled up next to him, blanket pulled up to her chin. She was asleep, although Roger wondered how one person could sleep through this riot. He was currently watching an old lady whacking a very young looking med student with her large purse, using some very animate words that Roger didn't think the elderly were supposed to use. Every so often he would reach down and brush a few strands of hair off Mimi's forehead in boredom. He had handed the paperwork into admit over an hour ago and now felt like screaming at everyone in the room in front of them out of frustration. He hated hospitals, always had, but he hated them more since he found out he was sick. He knew he had a good chance of catching something by just sitting here, but if it meant making Mimi feel better, it was most definitely worth it to him. Mark would probably have his head for it, but since when did he listen to Mark lately? He checked his watch again and groaned. It was already 10 AM, meaning that he had been officially sitting in the ER's waiting room for about two and a half hours. He was seriously considering physically dragging a doctor over to him by now. Just as he made to stand up, Mimi stirred next to him.

"Roger? Where are you going?" she yawned, bringing herself to a sitting position. 

"Uh—nowhere. You should really lie back down," he insisted. Mimi shrugged and rested her head against her shoulder, now taking slow, shallow breaths.

"How do you feel?" Roger took her hand in his and kissed it softly.

"Okay. My head isn't killing me, but my stomach is not so great," she frowned. Roger smiled a little. She sounded like such a child sometimes.

"Mimi Marquez?" Roger gripped Mimi around the waist and helped her stand, but the nurse brought over a wheelchair and motioned for her to take a seat. Roger attempted to follow her, but the nurse held out her hand.

"I'm sorry sir, we don't usually allow anyone but family to escort the patient into the exam room," she protested. 

"Well what if I said I was her brother? Don't you see the resemblance?" he growled. Mimi wrapped her fingers around his hand and squeezed it gently.

"I want him there," she croaked. The nurse rolled her eyes and continued walking down the hall, Roger trotting along her side.

"Change into these scrubs, and Dr. Carraway will be with you shortly," she huffed. She practically threw the scrubs at Roger and slammed the exam door so forcefully that the blinds rattled. Roger tried to get Mimi to change into the gown, but she had already curled up in a fetal position on the exam bed, using the blanket as a pillow. Roger pulled a chair up next to her and continued holding her hand. He dozed on and off for the next forty five minutes, wondering if he was going to be stuck here all day. He could just imagine Mark worrying himself sick. Hopefully Lisa had some authority over calming him down, but he seriously doubted it. Speaking of Lisa, he couldn't believe that his best friend's kid sister had just shown up on their doorstep, knocked up of for one. He hadn't seen her since she was eleven, and Lisa Cohen was the last person he would have ever thought to become a statistic. This week was just getting better and better.

"Mimi Marquez?" A tall, red headed woman had entered the room, followed by a nurse, who to Roger's relief, was not the same one as before. She held out her hand for Roger to shake. "I'm Doctor Rebecca Carraway and I understand that Mimi hasn't been feeling well?" Roger felt like screaming 'no shit' at her, but decided that he didn't need to piss off the doctor as well. Mimi nodded slowly and propped herself up. The nurse walked over to her and hooked her up to an IV.

"First I need to ask you some general questions about your HIV status…how long since you found out you were infected?" Mimi paused and thought for a few seconds before answering.

"I guess—about 3 years?" she replied. Dr. Carraway noted and made a note on her chart. 

"Okay, and are you sexually active right now?" Mimi blushed and Roger coughed slightly, rubbing his nose. 

"Yeah—" 

"Okay, so I'm assuming that you are the boyfriend then? Have you both been taking precautions or—" Mimi shook her head and Roger agreed.

"I've had HIV for about a year and a half, so no, we really haven't," Roger explained.

"And you both are currently under prescriptions for AZT or any other AIDS related medication?" she added, her eyes darting back and forth on her chart. They both nodded.

"Well that takes care of all the uncomfortable questions," she laughed. Roger attempted a smile, but honestly wasn't feeling like giving much effort.

"Okay, so let's talk symptoms. Mimi, what's been up lately?" 

"I've been getting migraines lately. I threw up about four times yesterday, and close to five times this morning—or I guess you could count that as one time all together since I didn't leave the bathroom for an hour," she groaned.

"Anything else?"

"No, just been exhausted lately, which isn't anything new. I've been working late nights at the club," Roger frowned; he hated that place more than anything else. He knew Benny still hung around there and hassled Mimi most nights.

"Sounds like you've been busy. I'm just going to draw some blood and put a rush on the lab results, so hopefully you'll be out of here in less than an hour. I'm also going to order a CBC, lytes, WBC, and a CD4 T-cell count," she added, talking more to the nurse than to Mimi and Roger. "If you need anything, page a nurse, and she'll page me as soon as possible. If not, I'll be back as soon as I can with the lab results," Dr. Caraway left the room, leaving Roger and Mimi in silence. 

"That wasn't so bad," Roger said. Mimi patted the bed.

"C'mere," she whispered. "You look worn out. I'm really sorry about all of this Roger," she apologized. Roger climbed into the bed with her and spread out the blanket over the two of them. Mimi flipped over and rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart.

"Don't be. I want you to feel better," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "You are my heart. Don't forget that, okay?" 

"Okay,"

Roger watched the minutes pass by on the clock, which was now heading towards noon.

"Roger?" 

"Yep?"

"I'm scared—"

Roger sighed again wrapped his arm around her stomach, silently praying that the rest of his life wouldn't have to be spent in hospitals like this one.

*//

"Where are they?"

"Mark, give it a rest. You know how emergency rooms are. Have you forgotten this is Manhattan you're talking about?" Lisa said. She was now lying flat on the couch, feet in Mark's lap, with an ice pack resting on her forehead. Mark opened his mouth to generate a response but she held her hand up.

"Don't. My head hurts enough already," Mark sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe if he attempted to get some sleep, this would all turn out to be a dream. Unfortunately for him, Collins had just barged through the door.

"Hey Mark, class let out early and I brought food—hey you're back," Collins said, pointing at Lisa. He set the bags of Chinese food down on the coffee table.

"Sure am," Lisa replied, shifting the ice pack slight over her left eye.

"Care to explain?" Collins prodded. He pulled out a container of shrimp lo mein and handed it to Mark. Mark passed it to Lisa instead, who tore into it hungrily. Mark and Collins just sat and stared at her for a good minute.

"I've seriously never seen a girl eat that fast, but hey, whatever works," Collins joked. "I'm Collins, by the way," He stuck out his hand for Lisa to shake, but she was too busy eating her food.

"Lisa," she mumbled through a mouthful of noodles.

"So Lisa, what brings you to this wonderful side of town?" he snorted. 

"Let's just pretend that Lisa's my pregnant seventeen year old sister who showed up on my doorstep last night right when you were leaving," Mark answered in a sarcastic tone. Mark added a look of 'I'll explain later' and Collins smirked in agreement.

"That could work," Collins decided not to press the topic any further. When Mark was ready to tell him, he'd tell him. He just silently prayed that Maureen didn't stop by anytime soon, because he knew she'd be all over the subject like a bat out of hell. Lisa placed her empty lo mein container on the table and stood up. 

"I think I'm going to take a nap. Just let Roger know that if he comes into the loft bitching about anything, I'm coming after him with a bat in his sleep," she muttered bitterly. Collins mouthed a silent 'wow' to Mark, who could obviously care less from his lack of a response.

"I think I could use one as well. Sorry Collins, looks like you'll be eating by yourself," Mark said. He stalked off to his room and slammed the door.

"I'll just let myself out!" he shouted after them, shaking his head. 

*//

"JOANNE!"

"Stop it Maureen, you're acting like a child! You just publicly humiliated me in front of my parents, my partners, and the WHOLE BENEFIT!" Joanne screamed. She slammed down her glass so hard it cracked at the bottom, water cascading out of the cracks.

"Pookie, that was last night—I thought you'd feel better in the morning…Pookie, come back to bed," Maureen pouted. "It was only harmless flirting in front of the punch bowl—" Joanne flung her suitcase, briefcase, and laptop onto the bed. 

"That resulted in you scoring his—Chad's---number right in front of me! I'M NOT BLIND MAUREEN, NOR AM I DEAF! I am so sick and tired of your bullshit. I don't know how I put up with it anymore!" she thundered, rummaging through her closet.

"Don't say that—Joanne, where are you going? Hey, wait…don't leave Joanne!" Maureen stalled. In the process of their argument, Joanne had flung various clothes into her suitcase. She had now moved on to business suits and shoes, all while Maureen was watching her, speechless.

"That's right, drama queen! I'm _leaving_. I'll be at my parent's in Staten Island if you decide to bring anyone else to make out with right in front of me. I'll clean out the rest of my shit sometime next week, not that you care, because oh—since when does Maureen Johnson care about anybody but herself?" Joanne taunted, hauling her items to the front door. Maureen stood in place and frowned. So she had flirted with Chad, an advertising agent, at the punch bowl and he had given her his number. It's not like she was going to hurt the poor guy's feelings by turning it down. Joanne was really overexaggerating. She hadn't humiliated her in front of everyone, and didn't know that Joanne would react this way. 

"Pookie, do I get a phone number to call you?" 

_Slam._

*//

Mimi sat up slowly, clutching her stomach. She was feeling queasy again, and hoped that she wouldn't throw up all over the exam bed and Roger. Roger noticed automatically of course and glanced at her, concern growing deep in his eyes. That boy must have some kind of Mimi radar that kept him intact to all her emotions lately.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," she responded, a little more grumpier than usual. "She was careful not to add anything else, because she knew it would come out sounding nasty and ungrateful and that was just about the last thing she needed right about now. She was three weeks late, and she had a feeling that even Roger, who was usually oblivious to this sort of thing, had picked up on the signs already. She had watched two of her older sisters go through pregnancies to know the signs well enough, and the nausea in the morning spoke for itself.

"Mimi? Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to wait on your T-cell count," Dr. Carraway said. She had just entered the room with what looked like five or six pages of lab results, plus a few brochures that Mimi couldn't see from where she was sitting. Roger was fully alert now, the concern he had a few minutes before wiped from his eyes.

"Your T cell count is about average for the stage of your HIV—about 350 cells compared to the normal range of 500 to 1000. You've been responding well to the AZT, and we'd like to continue on that treatment and perhaps expose you to other drug cocktails—however something has come to my attention that I'd like to discuss with you," she finished.

Mimi knew what that something was by just looking at the doctor.

"Your blood test results reveal to me that you're currently about five weeks pregnant, meaning that conception occurred sometime roughly around the 26th or 27th of December. Ring any bells?" she laughed.

"Yeah. It was that night…you know," Roger whispered to Mimi.

"I know—" she laughed. It was the night after Christmas, two days after her near death experience. They had both gotten completely wasted on leftover eggnog with Mark, Collins, Maureen, and Joanne, and things led to the bedroom shortly after. 

"Wow. This is really, wow?" Roger added. 

"I assume then that this isn't a planned pregnancy?" Dr. Carraway asked. Mimi shook her head.

"No, it wasn't," she replied. Roger suddenly took her hand in his and rubbed it softly. 

"Okay. Now it's my job to let you know that you do have other options, and I think you know what those are: abortion, adoption, or to parent the baby. Since you're HIV positive, Mimi, this pregnancy puts a greater risk on your body than to normally healthy mothers. If you decide to go through with the pregnancy, you will have to cease your AZT treatment until after the baby is born. The moment after the baby is delivered, your obstetrician will automatically start you back on AZT along with other drug cocktails to boost your T cell level. You can see how this can put you at a greater risk for infection from other diseases that could harm you and your baby. This is why I'm advised to suggest that you do not continue with the pregnancy, but it is ultimately your choice," Dr. Carraway ended her statement and looked between Roger and Mimi for a few seconds.

Roger looked fairly shocked, his piercing blue eyes enlarged underneath his bed head of blonde spikes. Mimi looked a mixture between content and depressed, never a good combination for her. 

"Umm, well—I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is no way I'm terminating this baby," Mimi spoke up. Roger titled his head to glare at Mimi. He hated when she made decisions for the both of them, and this just so happened to be one of those decisions that affected the rest of their lives.

"Mimi, you haven't even thought this through yet!" he shouted. Dr. Carraway raised her eyebrows a little bit, taken aback by his outburst.

"Roger, _not now_," Mimi hissed.

"Mimi—"

"ROGER! I SAID LATER!" she yelled out, her face flushing under the lights.

"Well, if you are sure about going through with this—" Dr. Carraway started. Roger abruptly cut her off.

"Believe me, we're not!" Roger growled back. 

"Roger Davis so help me god if you piss me off one more time—"

"You don't even believe in god—"  
  


"I'm leaving you these brochures along with a referral to another clinic that specifically works with high risk pregnancies and HIV. I just want you to know that there is a large chance that you will pass HIV on to you baby as well—"

"Lady, I get the risks. I'm having this baby," Mimi stated coolly. She grabbed the blanket and sped out of the room, leaving an angry Roger and a puzzled Dr. Carraway behind.

*//

Around 2 PM the pair stormed back into the loft. Mimi sat down on the couch and curled her feet under her. Roger walked over to the kitchen and downed his pills, bringing Mimi's bottle with him.

"Here, take them," he pushed. He held out the glass of water for her, but she shook her head.

"Roger, I can't," she responded quietly.

"Yes, you can. I'm not letting you endanger your life to bring another one into the world," he said. He was desperately trying to keep his temper under control, but he could feel his anger about to blow up. He wasn't really angry with Mimi—he was angry at the whole situation.

"This.Is.Not.Your.Choice," Mimi answered.

"Don't fucking tell me this isn't my choice! It's not like you got pregnant by yourself, I mean, I'm pretty sure I had something to do with it, unless you had Benny step in—" Roger paused when he saw the look on Mimi's face and automatically regretted the words that came out of his mouth. Mimi now had silent tears running down her cheeks. "Mimi—I didn't mean that, Mimi I'm sorry—" he tried. Mimi wouldn't even look at him.

"Get over it, Roger. GET FUCKING OVER IT. I am so TIRED of this constant jealousy you have for Benny. It was in the past! I've accepted it, why can't you?" she screamed. She was now standing on her feet, her finger pointed directly at Roger's chest. "You don't see me sitting here talking about April! I've accepted that too! IT'S ALL IN THE PAST!"

"Don't you dare bring up April! You never knew her!"

"Don't you TELL ME WHO I SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T BRING UP!" 

Mark and Lisa opened their bedroom doors at the exact same time, each looking at the other with increasing apprehension. Collins had arrived at the exact same time, using his key to open the loft door. He stared at Mark from the doorway, wondering what in the hell was going on. Mimi and Roger fought all the time, but he had never seen anything this bad. Maureen, who had a knack for appearing out of thin air anytime drama ensued, was now perching over Collin's shoulder, still wearing a look of disgust from her fight with Joanne earlier in the day.

"APRIL IS DEAD! SHE KILLED HERSELF BECAUSE OF ME! How do you think I live with myself, Mimi? How am I supposed to bring a child into this world when I'm so fucked up already!" he yelled. Lisa swore she saw the pictures rattle on the wall.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Mark whispered to her. Lisa shrugged and shushed him. 

"I wanna see this," she whined. 

"You're so dramatic," he hissed.

"It's like a damn good soap opera, except you don't have to pay for cable," she giggled back. Mark rolled his eyes.

"You're impossible to live with—"

"I haven't even been here a day," she grinned, focusing her eyes back on Mimi and Roger.

"Roger, that's not true! This child will love you, because I love you! I LOVE YOU, Roger. I don't understand why you won't believe me," she cried, fresh tears flooding her cheeks. She looked up and noticed that even Roger had a few tears welling up in his eyes. 

"I don't want you to die, Mimi," he whispered. He had now collapsed on the floor and was rocking himself back and forth. Mimi heard the sobs emitted from him and crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Collins nodded to Maureen, and the two softly exited the loft. Mark practically had to drag Lisa into his room.

"Marky, stop—"

"My room. Now," he argued.

"Roger, I'm going to die anyway. I don't have any control over that. It could be tomorrow, in eight months when the baby's born, it could be in ten years. One of us is going to die on the other, Roger, and we have to accept that. I'm not giving up on you, on us, or this baby. I'm not a quitter like April was. April had years in front if her, but she gave up. Mimi Marquez doesn't give up. It's the world that gives up on her," Mimi comforted him. Roger had now shifted his position and wrapped himself around Mimi, almost as if he was afraid to let go.

"April was scared. She didn't know—"

"April's gone. The past is gone. You have to live in the present, and the present is right here, right now, with you, me, and our baby," she said, trying to wipe her tears away and keep her arms around Roger at the same time. "I love you, Roger. This baby has made me realize why I love you so much. It's because no matter where I go, or where I am, or if I die, I know a part of me and you will be out there for the world to see, and that our baby will be loved by her parents for as long as they live to provide for it," Mimi started crying again, and slowly so did Roger.

"I'm sorry about all the things I said. I didn't mean it," he replied, kissing her softly.

"Remember in the hospital when you said I was your heart?"

"Yea, I do. I meant it," he answered back, Mimi's head now resting on his shoulder.

"You're my heart too," she whispered in his ear.

*//

"Collins, I don't get the directions for these brownies. Am I supposed to use milk or water? What tastes better?" Maureen asked him. She had taken over Collins' apartment in an attempt to bake brownies for Roger and Mimi after hearing their not so nice fight through the paper thin walls. It reminded her of Joanne, which only made her slip into a larger depressed funk than she was already in. 

"Milk. Definitely milk. The water makes it taste like really bad cake," Collins laughed, flicking some of the mix at Maureen. Maureen shrieked and dumped the cup full of water she was planning to use over Collins head, then added the milk to the mixture.

"Okay, so twenty minutes then? Think it's enough time for the dust to settle over there?" she asked. Collins shrugged and stuck his finger in the now empty mixing bowl. 

"Give 'em thirty minutes. Twenty to bake, ten to cool off, and five to make sure they're not having make up sex while we wait outside their door," he added thoughtfully.

"Good point," she giggled. She set the timer and sat down at the wooden kitchen table. Collins sat down across from her and scanned the latest edition of _The New York Times_. He noticed Maureen staring out the window and sighed.

"Okay girlfriend, what's going on with you and Joanne?" 

"Oh, Collins, I don't know. She left this morning after blowing up at me for flirting with an intern over the punch bowl," Maureen said, huffily blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Male or female?" Collins questioned, briefly checking the stock quotes before turning his attention back to Maureen.

"Male."

"Was he cute?"

"Collins! Yes, he was cute. I kind of—well, agreed to meet him for dinner tomorrow night," she whispered.

"Where at?"

"L'Avignon…" Maureen trailed off. Collins jaw dropped open.

"Maureen! Do you know how expensive that place is?" Collins eyed her. He wasn't sure if she was doing this to get back at Joanne, or if she honestly wanted to go out with this guy.

"I know, but—it would be a nice change from the Life Café," she admitted.

"You do have a point there. Tell me something about him," Collins lifted his eyes to check the brownie timer briefly, then glanced back at Maureen.

"Well, he just turned 27 in December. His name is Chad Bennett, and he's vice president of his father's advertising agency, Bennett Productions. Never married, been single for the last year, and is looking for someone a little out of the mold," Maureen finished with a wink.

"Like you?" Collins stated. He raised an eyebrow and sighed. Maureen would always be Maureen, and that would never change.

"I guess you could say that."

"What about you and Joanne?"

"I just need a change. It's only one date, Collins, and I'm pretty sure she's moving out anyway. You know the saying—all things good come to an end. Maybe our good wasn't too good to begin with," she smiled sadly. "Besides, I think I'll like having someone who has lots of people working for him!" she laughed, getting up to take the brownies out of the oven. "By the way, who was that girl Mark was with? New girlfriend? She looks a lot younger than him, if you ask me," she criticized.

"Not exactly. I haven't really talked about it with him yet, but he told me that's his sister, Lisa," Collins replied, leaving out the fact that she was pregnant. Maureen was happy enough with the brownies and Chad; Collins didn't want her nosing around other people's business until he found out the scoop from Mark first.

"Younger?"

"Much."

  
"These look about ready. Let's go, pookie!" she shouted, half skipping to the door.

"Did you just call me 'pookie'? Maureen? Make sure you knock first!"

*//


	5. 05

One Week

Part Five

A/N: I think this is probably going to turn out to be a bit of filler. Sorry about that. =) I love my reviewers! You guys are awesome. 

*//

Mark didn't decide to venture out of his room until after 5, just in case any leftover remnants of Roger and Mimi's fight remained behind. He found Lisa sitting on the couch, a tin full of brownies sitting in front of her. Mark noticed Roger practically drooling at them as he watched her contently eating them, while Mimi looked a little green.

"Hey—Lisa, do you think I could maybe have one of those?" Roger politely asked. Mark knew he must have not wanted to get on Lisa's bad side because Roger was rarely polite about anything. Lisa looked up and frowned. 

"Well okay, just—maybe one?" she answered. Roger greedily grabbed three brownies and ran into the kitchen before Lisa could stop him.

"Hey, where did you get them from?" Mark asked. It was highly unlikely that the girls ventured out of the loft, and there wasn't anything in the house besides bread, milk, and water. 

"Someone named Maureen came by and introduced herself. She seemed nice. She asks way too many questions. A little dramatic too. She mentioned she was going to stop by later, I think?," Lisa replied. Mark smiled awkwardly while Roger beamed.

"I think I've found my new best friend," he smiled, plopping down on the couch next to Lisa and wrapping his arm around her. Lisa uncomfortably shifted away from him and moved her brownie tin away. It didn't matter; Roger scored about two more brownies in the process.

"Bastard—" she muttered. Mimi snorted slightly.

"I'm going to go and see Maureen about…something," Mimi said rather quickly. 

"Mimi we have to go to the—" Mimi had slammed the door in Roger's face.

"…doctor's later," he finished to himself.

"I'm going to sleep. Wake me if you need me," Lisa grumbled, sarcastically exiting the room.

Mark shrugged and followed Roger into the kitchen. Roger was in the process of taking his pills and Mark was eyeing the grocery list that hadn't been touched since the day before.

"So how was the doctor's appointment?" Mark asked. Roger choked slightly on the water.

"Oh, it was normal, I guess," Roger lied. He knew he could never lie to Mark. Mark had that best friend psychic thing going on that knew everything no matter if you told him or not.

 "Roger…"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay? Just let it be," Roger replied. 

"I'm not going through this bullshit with you, Roger."

"No one said you had to! I'm not a child—

"YOU'RE ACTING LIKE ONE!" Roger rolled his eyes at Mark and threw on his leather jacket, making a hasty exit towards the door.

"Go ahead Roger. Run away from you fucking problems. They'll only come back to kick you in your ass in the end! You know, you need to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about Mimi—"

"YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH!" Roger shouted. Mark took a few steps back, stunned.

"How can you say that? Who was there for you after April, after drugs, during withdrawal?" Roger said nothing. "I was. Yeah, what do you need me for?" Mark added. Roger sighed loudly and turned from the doorway.

"Mimi's pregnant. She stopped taking her AZT," Roger said softly.

"Wow—how long?"

"Five weeks. I need to take her to the clinic to get her checked out."

"Roger…I'm sorry—"

"You're not, Mark. Don't worry about it. It's not your problem," Roger turned back and opened the loft door.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" 

"Out."

With that, Roger was gone. 

*//

January slowly turned into February. Lisa had finally settled into a routine that consisted most of sleeping, eating, and frequent trips to the bathroom to satisfy her overactive bladder. With each day she worried that her parents would show up on Mark's doorstep and drag her back to Scarsdale, but she soon realized that her mother would have at least called by now. Even Mark had found the lack of phone calls from his mother odd. One good thing had come out of this whole mess. Lisa and Mimi were bonding over the mutual fact that they were pregnant together, which Lisa had found out from Mark after Roger's breakdown. Good old Benny had granted them an extension for the 5th of February on the rent, which Mark was gratefully taking advantage of. Collins had been extremely busy with his students and grading exam papers. Maureen had been all over the ritzy side of town with Chad lately, leaving her absent from the loft lately, much to everyone's enjoyment.

"I'm still $170 short!" Mark shouted, scattering numerous bills as he slammed his fist down in frustration. Lisa shuffled into the living room shortly after. She was wearing a pair of Mark's sweatpants and an NYU sweatshirt that probably had come from Collins back in the day. 

"I know you still have until tonight to collect the rent money, but I'm getting incredibly bored of you bitching about the it, so here," she added, handing him what looked like a mixed amount of dollar bills.

"Lisa, no…"

"Take it. I don't want to hear anything else about it. Just do me a favor and tell Roger to get his fat ass off the couch and get a job because I'm tired of his pretty boy mug looking back at me all the time," she grinned.

"MY ASS IS NOT FAT!" Roger screamed from the couch. Mimi shrugged and snuggled into him some more. Out of pure boredom, they had decided on watching One Life to Live. Roger was half dozing, while Mimi kept sniffling every few seconds, tissues in her lap.

"Why are you crying again?" Roger made a point of asking her after the commercials appeared.

"You are so insensitive! Does the fact that I'm pregnant and you don't care have anything to do with it?" she emotionally sobbed. Roger rolled his eyes and tried to comfort her, but she pulled away. "Don't touch me!" 

"I do care!" he growled back, that being the only response he could muster.

"You don't! 

"Yes, I do—"

"No, you don't!" She screamed back. She stormed off to the bathroom and grabbed her tissues with her. 

"I really feel for you. She's only on her sixth week. Just think of how much more of that you have to put up with," Lisa added, trying to rub it in. Roger glared and ran off to his bedroom. He had been retreating there lately, surprisingly to play his guitar, the sound of which hadn't be heard for weeks. 

"He really needs to cut that out. He's such a miserable bastard lately," Lisa said. 

"Just cut him some slack. I don't think it's really sunk in yet—" Mark was cut off by the shrill ringing of the phone. He usually made a habit of screening and ignoring it, but this time he had a feeling he already he knew who was on the other end of the line.

"Stop staring at and pick it up. I know who it is anyway," Lisa stated, pulling her hair up into a messy bun.

"I don't think—"

"It's either that or she realizes that I'm hiding here and comes to physically drag me back to Scarsdale, which would result in me permanently running away—"

"I'm not getting it!"

"FINE!"

"SPEAK!"

"Mark, it's your mother again. Not picking up the phone again, I see? Please, if you're there, pick up. It's about Lisa. She ran away a few days ago, and your father and I are extremely worried about her. If you hear anything, or see anything, tell her that we forgive her and come home. We love you Mark. When are you coming home?"

"What bullshit," Lisa muttered, pouting at the phone. She was now tugging absentmindedly at the sweatshirt, lost in thought. Mark chose not to reply and erased the message.

"We really need to get you some clothes. I'm tired of seeing you in mine lately," he said. Mark walked over to the coffee table and started sorting through the mail.

"Heating…electric…gas? I don't think we've ever used the stove this month…Lisa this one's for you?" he added, throwing what looked to be a professional envelope to her. Lisa frowned and ripped it open, noting her name scribbled on the front. She scanned it quickly before groaning at Mark.

"Listen to this—Dear Lisa…I know our last meeting wasn't a pleasant one, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive my family's judgments about the situation we find ourselves in. I hope both you and the baby are well. I'll be in the city next week for a medical conference from the 8th to the 12th, and I was hoping that I could meet you somewhere to catch up on things. I know I can't justify my actions in one meeting, but I'd like to at least explain myself to you before you shut me out of our baby's life forever. If you're feeling up to it, meet me at Monero's on the 9th at noon. Looking forward to seeing you soon, David."

"So are you going to see him?" Mark questioned. Lisa glared at him and shrugged. She knew Mark never approved of David, especially of his age. David was going on 23; Lisa was just shy of 18. 

"I don't know. I haven't decided if I want to look that selfish prick in the face yet," she argued.

"How did he track you down?"

"I gave him the address. I figured that even if I wasn't staying here, your place would be my safest bet on receiving his checks, you know?" she replied. Mark nodded. He didn't really care much about anything anymore, now with Roger constantly pissed off, Mimi extremely emotional, and Lisa bitchy.

"I mean—god can you believe how he wrote this? All he thinks about is himself and his image. Pathetic," she moaned, letting the letter flutter back on the table.

"You never told me the whole story of what exactly happened between you guys and why mom and dad kicked you out," Mark said. He had to admit he wanted to know the full truth of why Lisa had come to him—even if it would be something he didn't like to hear so much. 

"Well maybe I don't want to—"

"Well maybe I have a right to hear it, seeing as I am putting you up here in my very crowded, emotionally draining loft at the moment…" he trailed off.

"You are such a pain in the ass," she muttered under her breath.

"Lisa—seriously I won't get mad or anything…" Mark sighed. It looked like everyone had been keeping something from him lately.

"Just forget it Mark. Maybe I should have had that abortion when I had the chance," she sighed. Mark just glared at her and tossed the bills back on the coffee table.

"Just---ah, whatever," Mark replied in frustration. He didn't know what to say to her to make anything better for her, and he certainly wasn't ready to perform a speech about what she should do when he didn't even know all the facts.

"Yeah—well I'm gonna go take a walk. Maybe get some coffee. Clear my head and all," she responded, pulling the sweatshirt hood over her head.

"You don't know your way around—"

Slam.

*//

Mark rested his head in his hands and sat in silence, tears of frustration forming in his eyes. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, but the next thing he heard was Maureen's voice calling to him from the doorway.

"Marky?"

"Yep?" Maureen rushed over and practically flung herself on the couch next to him, her red heels sliding across the floor. She was clearly dressed to go out, even if a little provocatively. She was currently sporting red flared pants and a black tube top with a black mesh tank over it. A black pea coat had been thrown on top. Her curly hair was piled on top of her head, and she was clutching a matching red purse.

"You okay, pookie? You look sick," she added, placing her hand on his head. "You do feel a little warm. Maybe you should lie down for awhile?"

"Oh, believe me I wish," Mark grumbled. He had now slid down on the couch and was resting his feet in Maureen's lap. "Where are you going dressed like that? It's forty degrees outside, in case you haven't noticed?"

"That's what the coat's for, silly. I'm going out to lunch with Chad to celebrate his being named 'Most Successful Man of the Year' by The Village Voice. But this time, I'm going to meet all the wives and fiancées and girlfriends of his colleagues as well…so I think that Chad might actually be getting serious about us and—"

"That's great, Maureen. Really great," Mark replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, Mark. How have you been?" she said, noting his evident unhappiness.

"Well, considering I have an asshole for a roommate and two emotional pregnant women, I guess I'm heading for a nervous breakdown," he smiled.

"Well, if there's anything I can do…"

"I doubt it but—do you maybe think you can take Lisa and Mimi out one day? I know Lisa needs clothes and they both need stuff for the babies—and I figured you would know something about that because of your nieces," Mark said. Maureen crossed her arms around her chest and chewed on her lip for a second.

"Wait a minute—Mimi's pregnant? When did this happen?"

"Six weeks ago. She's going through with it, as far as I know, although she won't really talk to anyone and keeps yelling at Roger all the time—but it's not like he doesn't deserve it lately," Mark added. He was getting so tired of telling the story that he wished he could just throw up posters everywhere with the headlines: Ex-Junkie Gets Girlfriend Pregnant; Cohen's Kid Sister Knocked Up By Rich Med Student.

"Won't she have to stop taking her AZT?" Maureen questioned.

"That's the general idea. Roger's not too happy about it and keeps fighting with her over it."

"I wouldn't be too happy about it either, but yeah, I'll definitely take them both out. It'll give me a chance to get to know your sister better and maybe cheer Mimi up a bit. Poor you," She ruffled Mark's hair a bit and kissed his cheek.

"Well, I'm going to be late, but how does Friday sound?" Maureen had buttoned up her pea coat and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"It sound good, as far I know. Tomorrow I have to take Lisa back to the obstetrician, and Roger needs to drag Mimi to the clinic sometime this week. Friday night Lisa has someone to meet, so if you're going to do Friday make it an early day? I know how tired she gets sometimes," Mark thought.

"Okay—come to think of it, we'll make it Thursday the 8th then. See you later, Marky!" she waved.

*//

Tuesday morning came sooner than Mark would have liked, and around 8 AM he was frantically trying to wake Lisa up for her doctor's appointment for 9.

"Lisa! UP! NOW! We still need to catch the train!" he shouted. He peeked his head in her door and noticed that her bed was empty and neatly made. "FUCK! LISA MARIE—" Mark slid into the living room, one leg in his pants and the other clutching his shirt. He gaped open mouthed, dropping his shirt to the floor.

"I see the city's had an interesting effect on your vocabulary, Mark."

"Mom?" He quickly fixed his pants and threw on his shirt and paused, adjusting his glasses. "What are you doing here?"

*//

Next up on One Week: Mark's parents make a surprise visit, Mimi reveals a secret about her past, and Roger refuses to cope with the present. Part Six will be up so much sooner than this part took me to post. 


	6. 06

One Week

Part Six 

*//

_"What are you doing here?"_

Mark blinked and narrowed his eyes, making sure that he wasn't imagining the whole thing. His father was sitting on the couch, a copy of _The Wall Street Journal_ clutched in his hands. He had apparently been scanning the headlines when Mark walked in and was now cleaning his glasses on the edge of his polo shirt. Lisa was sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen, her eyes red and puffy. She was clutching her stomach in one hand and holding a glass of water in the other, visibly shaking from the other side of the room. 

"I mean…hi," Mark added quickly. He shifted his weight uncomfortably and glanced down at the floor, fully prepared for his mother to launch a verbal attack on him for keeping Lisa at his loft. Instead, Mark's mother walked over and wrapped her hands around her son, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Eva, for Christ's sake! Would you knock it off and let the boy breathe?" Mark's father grumped from the couch.

"Gene, I haven't seen him in over a year! You think he'd be able to give his mother a hug without you complaining? Stop talking about Christ! Christ had nothing to do with it. You are such a bad Jew. Oi," she muttered, wiping at her eyes.

"I'm a bad Jew because I'm not a Jew? Did I or did I not convert when I married you?"

"Then stop griping about Christ, will you!" she shouted.

"I'll gripe and embrace both sides of my religion when I want to!" 

"It's good to see you, Pop," Mark shouted over his parents, finally wriggling out of Eva's death grip and shaking his father's hand. His father cuffed him on the shoulder and lit a cigarette.

"Mind if I smoke, son?" Mark shook his head and remained standing, praying silently that Roger wouldn't have one of his outbursts this morning.

"Do you want coffee, Mom? I'd offer you something else, but we're not big on breakfast around here," he added, rushing into the kitchen. He passed Lisa, who looked distraught, and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Why are they here?" he hissed, filling up the empty coffee pot.

"I don't know Mark! I opened the door and expected Collins or Maureen and there was Mom and Dad," Lisa whispered. "This is all my fault. I never should have brought you in to this," Mark shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just try to get them out of here, and fast?"

"Coffee's fine dear," Eva called over, adjusting herself on the worn in couch. Gene coughed violently after taking a drag of his cigarette. Mark set up the coffeemaker and returned to the living room.

"So um, what are you guys doing here exactly?" Mark interrupted. Eugene and Eva Cohen weren't the type of people to just randomly stop by bright and early on a Tuesday morning. His mother at least would call a day in advance, a few days more if she had never been to the place before. 

"Well, Maria's been begging me for ages to come and see her new garden, so we were on our way to Staten Island and decided to stop here first, sweetheart. You know how Dennis has been working those crazy hours at the hospital lately and she wanted us to drop by when she was sure he'd be awake," she smiled. Maria was the second youngest of his mother's four sisters. She was also the only sister besides his mother that lived in the United States. "Besides, with Galina and Sergei in Russia and Svetlana and Georgio in Spain, it seems like we're the only two left," she added sadly. 

"Don't get her started, Mark. She won't shut up about your Russian side of the family," Gene joked, taking another drag of his cigarette. Eva glared and waved his comment away with her hand.

"Don't you go talking about my side of the family, when your side of the family is worse! Stubborn Jews! All of them!" Eva shouted. She had now started shouting at him in Russian. Gene sat there unfazed and ignored her. Lisa stifled a laugh from the barstool and Mark grinned. They had to admit, it was pretty pointless arguing over which side of the family was more stubborn. Both sides were Jewish; Eva's happened to be Russian and Jewish; Eugene's was a mix of Italian Catholics and an equal mix of Jewish and French.

"So we're all stubborn Jews! Give it up already!" Gene shouted back, returning to the newspaper.

"Knock it off, okay? I already have a headache," Lisa shouted over them. Eva looked put out and returned to a sitting position. 

"Well missy, now whose fault is that?" Eva added, rather harshly. She lit another cigarette and was blowing the smoke out in rings. "Certainly not mine!"

"Mom, it was a mistake! Why can't you just accept that?" Lisa said, slouching down somewhat in her barstool.

"Mistake! Yes, a mistake that'll follow you around for the rest of your life, but you'll find out soon enough. How many more months now? Six?" Eva was now pacing the room, a chain of smoke following her.

"Yes," Lisa agreed.

"When?"

"Mid-July. Mama, do we have to talk about this?" Lisa complained, now rubbing her temples. 

"What, you think I'm going to ignore the fact that my daughter is pregnant and shut her out of my life? I don't think so!" Eva added, now resting her hand on her forehead.

"Honestly, Ev, leave Mark alone. It's bad enough you harass him constantly with your damn phone calls, and now conning me in to driving you all the way to Manhattan thinking we were supposed to be going to Staten Island. For the love of God, tell Lisa what you came here to tell her and let's go to Maria's! The Yankees are playing tonight and I'd like to be home by then!" Gene yelled.

A door was flung open from across the hall and a sleepy Roger stumbled out, hair sticking in all directions.

"C'mon Mimi, I'll fix you some toast or something and then we can go to the doctor's. You really need to eat—JESUS CHRIST!" He stumbled and backed up against the wall when he noticed Mr. and Mrs. Cohen standing in the middle of the living room.

"Hello to you too, Roger," Eva replied. Roger blushed a deep shade of red and glanced helplessly at Mark and Lisa. Mark rolled his eyes and groaned. 

"I'm not going to the doctor's today—hey—what's going on?" Mimi yawned. She had walked over to Roger and had latched on to his hand.

"Uh, Mom, Dad, this is Roger's girlfriend Mimi. Mimi, these are my parents, Gene and Eva Cohen," Mark introduced. It was way too early in the morning to be worried about first impressions, and his lack of sleep was really starting to catch up with him.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen," Mimi smiled.

"Likewise," Eva replied, raising an eyebrow. She walked over to Roger and somewhat hesitantly threw her arms around him as well. "I'm glad that you're doing so much better. We all missed you. Your mother asks about you so much," she whispered.

"Thanks," he replied, pulling away faster than he'd have liked.

"What happened to that April? You remember her, Marky? Didn't you bring her to Scarsdale for Christmas one year, Roger? Such a lovely girl," Eva added, blowing more smoke into the room. Gene nodded, still reading the _Wall Street Journal_. "Your mother wishes you would call her…" Roger froze, not listening to anything else Mark's mother had to say. He felt Mimi softly rubbing his hand in an attempt to calm him. She had no right to ask him about a time that he didn't want anything to do with anymore. That wasn't who he was now. Sure, five years ago he thought he had found the perfect girl and was set to marry her—but fate certainly had other plans for him, and April wasn't involved in those plans. 

"Excuse me," Roger said sullenly. He grabbed his leather jacket from the couch and bolted from the room. Mark grabbed Mimi's arm before she could run after him. "Let him go. The best thing you can do is let him go," Mark whispered. Mimi nodded, now intently staring at the floor.

"Look what you did, Ev. Can we get a move on or what? I can't believe you missed a day of work to come up here and see your sister's garden. That's what the weekends are for," Gene reprimanded. "I missed a perfectly gorgeous day to go golfing with my buddies from the force." Mark's father was a retired police officer. After spending thirty years with the Scarsdale Police Department, he retired after his first heart attack. His mother was an accountant who enjoyed her garden club and smoking like a chimney.

"You know how your father gets. The doctor recommended one round of golf every other week and look what happens? He plays up to three times a week year round. Indoors, outdoors, no matter," she cajoled, her accent slipping through a bit. "Anyway, we brought some of Lisa's things—clothes, blankets, pillows, shampoo, you get the picture. Cindy's offered to let you have her old crib and some of Rachel and Michael's old baby things for your benefit. We have everything in the car."

"Well, okay. So you're not making me come back to Scarsdale?" Lisa questioned curiously. Her parents had come all the way to Manhattan to drop of some clothes and baby things? Highly unlikely.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. You want to come back, you come back. You don't, you don't. End of discussion. I'm not spending months arguing over this with you. People make mistakes, you learn from them, you live with them, and you get over them. We'll be off to Maria's as soon as your father and Mark help me bring everything up for you," Eva replied, walking over to Lisa and kissing her on both cheeks.  "Just come home every once in awhile, okay? Bring your brother with you too, will you?" She gave Lisa a hug and placed a hand on her rounded stomach. "And you know what else?"

"What? Lisa asked, almost afraid of the answer. Her mother was acting so out of character that she didn't know what to think anymore. Even Mark, who had slipped out and returned with two boxes in his hands, followed by Gene with a disassembled crib was staring at them strangely.

"Forget about David. If you don't love him, you don't see him. You just wait and find someone that will make you happy, regardless of the baby or not. If not, I'll send you to Galina and she'll set you up with a nice Russian boy, hmm?" Eva laughed, kissing Lisa once more. Lisa smiled, some of the color finally returning to her cheeks.

"I think I'd like that," she joked. 

"Oh Christ, he we go with the Russian boys again. Russian tea, Russian royalty, Russian cigarettes—"Gene trailed off, hauling up what appeared to be the last set of boxes. Eva walked over to Mark, kissed him, and gave him a final hug.

"Okay Mr. Creativity, you take good care of your sister, you hear? Don't hesitate to call home if you need anything. I'll keep checking for you in the papers, you know. Just wait, I keep telling Maria, one day you'll see his name in lights…" Eva waved to Mimi before ducking into the doorway.

"Goodbye, Mom," Mark groaned. Lisa laughed and rested her head on Mark's shoulder.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Lisa smiled, poking Mark in his ribs.

"Next time, make a habit of asking who it is first, sis…"

*//

Roger rested his hands on his knees, panting. He didn't know how far he had run, or how long he had been out, but what he did realize was that he was freezing. He shivered slightly, noticing that a light snow had started and was now piling up on the sidewalk. He scanned the surrounding area quickly, realizing where he had ended up. Mark was probably out searching for him, and Mimi was most likely worried sick, but he didn't care. He didn't care anymore. What Mark's mom had said about April was true—and he had fucked things up with her like he had fucked himself and everyone else up.

"Hey Lover Boy…where you been?" a familiar voice growled from the shadows. Roger looked up and noticed the Man's hooded form quickly approaching, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Nowhere," Roger added. 

"Why don't you let me give you somethin' to get you somewhere, eh? What do you say? Since you're a ex valued customer…give me an even 15 bucks and we'll make it a deal, huh?"

"What do you think I am, an idiot?" Roger replied. He tried to walk away, but something held him back. For just a spilt second, Roger thought of everything smack would take away—the pain, guilt, the baby, Mimi, and Mark's constant worrying—and for some reason, that made him stay rooted in the spot he was standing in. 

"10 then. Besides, you know it'll make all your problems go away…" Roger thought about it for a second. It _would_ make all his problems go away, but then they would all come flying back ten times worse tomorrow morning.

"I don't know," Roger said. 'C'mon Davis, get your shit together. You're better than this,' he thought.

"You don't give up, do you? 5. Final standing offer. Take it or leave it," he hissed. Roger dug around in his pockets for a bit, finally pulling out a wrinkled five-dollar bill. The Man threw the bag at him, tossed the bill in his pocket, and retreated back into the shadows before Roger knew what to do with himself.

"Pleasure doing business witcha…" he whispered from the dark alleyway. Roger fingered the bag in his pocket. He could either toss it and pretend he had never been here, or use it to take all of his emotions away. Maybe if he just held it, he'd feel automatically better. After ten minutes of the same emotions running through his heavily clouded brain, he knew what he had to do. It was just one time, right? But that's how his addiction started, didn't? _Just one time_. 

"Hey!" he shouted back into the alley.

"Keep it down, the Man only is suppose'ta roam durin' the night, hotshot…"

"You don't happen to have any spare needles, do you?"

*//

"You have no idea how good it feels to be back in my own clothes," Lisa laughed, staring longingly at her size 3 jeans. "Now only if I could fit in to those…" she sighed.

"You have no idea how good it feels to not have to share my boxers with my own sister. Talk about gross," Mark mimicked, making a face. Lisa shot him a look and threw a pillow at him from her bed. "Hey!" he grinned. He had to admit, he felt so much better knowing that his parents and Lisa weren't feuding anymore, even if his mother was acting a bit strange when he left. Mark was now lying on his side on Lisa's bed, his arm propped up under his head.

"What do you think is eating Mom? Lisa asked. She had abandoned her stack of jeans and was know folding various shirts and was now stacking them in the wooden dresser. 

"No idea. I really expected her to drag you kicking and screaming back to Scarsdale," Mark laughed. He held up a bikini and winked. "Planning to go out in this anytime soon?" he teased. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right. Check back in three years when I'm hopefully not fat," she complained, grabbing the bikini from Mark. "Do you remember that time when you threw me into the pool and I slammed my head on the side of the pool? I thought Mom would kill you."

"God, she made such a scene. Then when you came out smiling and laughing she really started going off on me," he laughed. Lisa had crawled up next to Mark and was resting her head on a pillow.

"I've got a better one! You had to be at least 14 or 15 because I was old enough to remember it. You had the flu, and you were so pissed off because you couldn't go and see Roger's band practice that you were constantly bitching at Mom the whole day because she wouldn't let you out of bed. Grandma Elena had come over in the morning and spent the whole day cooking something in Mom's kitchen and you kept asking what it was—"

"Oh man Lisa, not this story again…"

"…and finally she came up late in the afternoon and handed you a bowl of something and told you it was vegetable soup and you ate it like you had been starved for a week. Then she pops her head back in and tells you in broken English that it was borscht and that there was a pot full of it downstairs and that's what you get for asking stupid questions! I think you spent the rest of the day and night in the bathroom you got so sick from it," Lisa laughed hysterically, tears now forming in her eyes. 

"Hah, you're funny. Grandma Elena's borscht was the worst. I'm so glad Mom never ventured into that area of culinary masterpieces," he sarcastically grinned. Lisa didn't respond, so Mark looked over his shoulder at her. "You okay?" he added. 

"Yeah, I guess. Just thinking," she replied, tugging at the bottom of her pajama pants. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot. Just not any embarrassing questions about my sex life, although there's been many conquests," he teased.

"What happened to Roger? I mean, how did he get sick and everything?" Mark flipped over and faced her. He just realized that she was the only one out of everyone that dared to ask why Roger was sick. He thought everyone knew—but then he remembered that Lisa had been absent for a good amount of Roger's life.

"When Roger moved in with me a few years back, he had formed a band with some of his friends he had met in the city—_The Well Hungarians_. Roger would bring home a girl every now and then. Some of them stayed for just a night, others for a few months here and there. I don't think they wanted to stick around, most of them. Roger knew this. I just had to put up with it. I could handle the girls, but I couldn't handle the drugs. I knew he had a cigarette fetish because he had smoked since we were kids. Then he moved on to the party drugs—especially coke. He was a major cokehead for a while. I told him it would kill him, but you know what he said to me?" Mark paused, expecting Lisa to answer.

"What?"

"Only the good die young, Mark. He was getting worse everyday. I waited up for him most nights, just to make sure that he wouldn't pass out or throw up all over himself. I didn't think it could get much worse than that, until I started showing up at some of the parties he went to. Not because I wanted to party, but because I wanted to keep a better eye on him. He used to get so pissed at me in those days—telling me to fuck off and that he didn't need me around. I found him one night in a corner with a bunch of his band buddies and their friends, shooting up. He had a girl sitting on his lap. She was practically whoring herself to him right in the chair."

"April?" Mark turned around and noticed Mimi standing in the doorway. She had her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. She had obviously been crying. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been listening. It's not my business. It was a long time ago," she added, trying to reassure herself. Mark attempted to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat and nodded.

"You have a right to hear it, Mimi. He never told you?"

"No. I think if he ever did, he would be forced to realize that at one time he was a really fucked up person," Mimi laughed bitterly. Mark stood up and wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her back as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"It'll be okay," Mark said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just a mess right now. I really love him so much it hurts," Mimi smiled, sitting down next to Lisa. She pulled down the covers to Lisa's bed and slid under them, propping her head up with her arm.

"I'm really sorry you guys…I shouldn't have brought it up. It's not my place—" Lisa apologized, now wiping at her own teary eyes.__

"Hey, you have a right to know. It was bound to be brought up sooner or later," Mark replied. "So anyway, back to April. At first, we all thought she would be good for him, maybe settle him down a bit. We, meaning Maureen, Benny, Collins, and I didn't want to judge her on what I told them about the party. The first few months were great and then it all started going downhill. They'd stay out late, party, shoot up, and come home high and drunk off their asses," Mark paused, thinking to himself. It was hard enough living through it one time, but to retell the tale was hurting him more then he could imagine. "They both started to separate themselves from each other. Roger would go out and still party, but April would sit home with me a lot of the nights. I'd be working on some film, and she'd sit and help me edit everything all together. She actually was pretty smart, even when she partied. She knew how much to take, when to take, and what not to take it with. I got to know her better those nights when Roger was out. She wasn't a bad person, just stubborn and headstrong like Roger. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in photography, so when we'd edit things together she'd give me suggestions on what lighting to shoot in, what effects I should out, stuff like that. I got home from work one day in May of '95—at that time I was working at some film production company—and it was really late and I was exhausted. I came in and she was sitting on the couch in the dark, so I turned on the lights and started joking around with her. She told me Roger was out again and I didn't think anything of it—I didn't think. I said goodnight to her, and when she didn't say anything I shouted "Hey April," to get her attention and she turned around and smiled and said "Bye Mark. See you," just like that."

Lisa and Mimi were now leaning against each other. Mark suddenly stood up and ran into the living room. Lisa stood up and gripped Mimi's hand, pulling her up as well. The pair followed him slowly, pausing behind the couch. Mark was rummaging around in the stereo cabinet, a pile of CDs and old records now stacked on the floor.

"Mark…what are you—" Lisa interrupted. Mark held up his hand and shook his head. Mimi looked positively confused.

"Listen." he directed, pointing at the stereo. 

When the night has come 

_And the land is dark_

_And the moon is the only light we see_

_No, I won't be afraid_

_No, I won't be afraid_

_Just as long as you stand_

_Stand by me_

"Mark, I'm sorry. I don't get it," Mimi apologized, noting the pained expression on Mark's face.

"She set the record player so it would play this song over and over again. I woke up around 5 AM one day in May because of this song. She used to sing it all the time when we were editing together. I never paid any attention to it," Mark said softly.

Darling, darling stand by me 

_Oh, Stand by me_

"Mark…" Lisa trailed off, resting her hand against the edge of the couch.

Stand by me, stand by me 

"I heard Roger screaming shortly after. He had just gotten home from the bar, because he reeked of cigarettes and beer. I rolled out of bed, wanting to scream back at him for being such an asshole and then I saw. He wasn't screaming because he was high, or because he needed a fix. He was screaming because April was dead. She had slit her wrists in the bathtub, and god there was so much blood. It was all over the place and all over Roger. I stood there and looked at him, and he wouldn't look at me, but he knew I was there. She was so pale, but still warm. I remember because I had to pry her away from him because he wouldn't let go. She probably only was dead for a few hours. I couldn't help but think that maybe if I had sat up with her until Roger had gotten home she'd still be here," Mark whispered. 

All three were now crying, Mark the hardest out of all. 

Stand by me, stand by me 

"Maureen and I cleaned the bathroom later that day. We had Collins come over to watch Roger. It was always one of us watching him. We were so afraid that he'd hurt himself. That's when we found the note. "We've got AIDS, Roger. April." We couldn't bring ourselves to show it to him. We took him to get tested a few days later, and he turned up positive and started on AZT. After he found out, he pretty much holed up in his room and played _Stand By Me_ over and over again at all hours of the night. He wouldn't speak to me for the longest time, not even during April's funeral. He didn't speak to me until about three weeks after she died. I was working on a script, and Roger woke up. He had walked into the kitchen to take his pills and instead of either sitting back down or going out to get a fix, he stood by the sink, watching me. I asked him if I could help him with anything and he said, "Help me, Mark. I can't do it anymore." Withdrawal was the worst. It was six and a half months of pure hell. I fought him day in and day out and I barely let him out of my sight. He must have hated me back then," Mark laughed, wiping his eyes.

 _If the sky we look upon_

_Should tumble and fall_

_And the mountain_

_Should crumble to the sea_

"Roger's always been stubborn like that," Mimi whispered. She had now shifted to the couch and was curled up on it, her face buried into the cushions. "Now I know why he never told me."

"Now I know why you never wanted to come home. You had to stay…for him," Lisa smiled.

I won't cry, I won't cry 

_No, I won't shed a tear_

_Just as long as you stand_

_Stand by me_

"Turn it off." Roger was standing in the doorway. He had a scowl on his face and brushed past them all to the bathroom and started splashing water on his face, dripping some onto the floor.

"Oh god…" Mimi trailed off. "He's high. Look at him." Roger walked back out and stood in his place and stared at them all.

"No, Mimi he's not," Mark shook his head vibrantly. He didn't want to believe it. After all, Mimi and Roger were never addicts together, so what did Mimi know? 

"Why are you all staring at me?" Roger shouted. "I said turn it off Mark. Fuck!" 

"Where'd you go, Roger? Just for a walk, right? Where to? The Man?" Mark taunted, closing the gap between himself and Roger in three strides.

"Stop it, Mark. He's not—" Lisa argued.

"Shut the hell up, Lisa. Not what?" Roger yelled.

"Don't fucking talk to her like that," Mark forcefully shoved him. Roger shoved him back, knocking the lamp off the coffee table in the process.

"Hey guys! We come with food!" Maureen gleefully shouted from the doorway. She pocketed her key as Collins and Benny appeared after her, both armed with a bag of something each. 

"Great timing, Maureen," Mark frowned, glaring at her.

"Hey Mimi," Benny greeted. Mimi ignored her as Roger shot him a look.

"Roger, what's up with your eyes?" Mimi added. She knew that he had just shot up. She didn't want to believe it. She thought he was better than that. They were all better than that. She could feel Benny smirking at her from across the room. 

"What—nothing. Lay off, Mimi," he growled, moving rather forcefully toward her. Mimi stepped back quickly and landed on Mark's foot, who took this as his cue to jump in front of her and Lisa.

"How many more times, Rog? Just another to get you through the day like last time? Empty your pockets," Mark demanded. He waited impatiently for a minute or so before repeating himself. "Now."

"Did we come at a bad time, Marky?" Maureen said. The two bags of bagels had been abandoned on the kitchen table.

"You could say that," Lisa smirked.

"No. What the hell is wrong with you guys? I just wanted to have some fun. You know, fun? Or did you forget, Mark?"

"Hey Roger, let me throw this at you. How does a baby in eight months sound? Does that sober you up enough?" Mimi spat. She had pushed herself around Mark and was standing directly in front of him. 

"Whose baby? Mimi, you're pregnant? Again?" Benny laughed. Roger attempted to make a dive for him, which was intercepted by Mark and Collins, and then turned back to Mimi

"I don't…I didn't—what's he talking about?" Roger shouted at Benny. Mimi shook her head and reached for Roger's coat pocket. "

"Forget it," she scowled, still carefully searching in his pocket. Collins was posed against the wall, now softly talking to Mark. The pair kept shooting glances back and forth at Roger and shaking their heads. Benny had now sat down next to Lisa and was introducing himself, handshake and all. Apparently he was ignoring the situation in front of them.

She dropped a needle and a half empty packet fell to the floor. Roger was now staring at the ground, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Happy now? I'm fucked up. There, I said it. Satisfy you enough?" Roger said bitterly. He slipped off to his bedroom before anyone could say anything. 

The phone rang moments later, followed by the click of the answering machine. 

"Roger, it's Mom…" 

*//__

_Whenever you're in trouble_

_Won't you stand by me?_

_Oh, stand, stand by me_

A/N: "Stand By Me" belongs to Ben E. King. 

I would have had this up about three days ago, but for some reason FF.net was down. Grr. Let's see, Friday night I went to see RENT for my 3rd time for my bday and it was as much fun as my first time. I'd definitely go again anytime. 


	7. 07

Part Seven

*//

The answering machine message had ended minutes ago, and still everyone remained frozen in their spots. Benny, still upholding his conversation with Lisa, had barely responded to what had happened. Maureen was now posing against the wall, suddenly transfixed with the window. Mark looked pale and stunned, and Collins was staring at a section of the ceiling. Mimi's eyes were now locked on Roger's door, occasionally crossing back to the needle on the floor.

"I think we should—" Mark cleared his throat and broke the silence of the room. Mimi glanced over at him and shook her head forcefully.

"This isn't some fucking rescue mission, Mark. I'd appreciate it if everyone just left. The last thing Roger needs is for this to turn into a goddamn three ring circus," Mimi spat. Collins walked over and put his arm around her.

"Mark's only trying to help. Please don't get yourself upset, it's not good for the baby," he comforted. Mimi nodded and rested a hand on her flat stomach and lowered her head. 

  
"Yeah..."  
  
"We understand, sweetie. I'll be at Chad's tonight, but if you need anything please call one of us. I'd really like for you all to meet him when everything gets settled, okay?" Maureen said, giving Mimi a quick hug. She gently grabbed Benny's arm from the couch and pulled him along with her, much to Lisa's amusement.  
  
"It was nice meeting you!" Lisa called after him.  
  
"Pleasure," Benny smirked, now halfway outside the loft. Now with Maureen and Benny gone, Collins remained standing near Mark.   
  
"Do you want anything to drink or eat? You look like you could use something," Mark offered.   
  
"Yeah, i'll try a glass of water and a bagel. No cream cheese. I'm really trying not to throw up right now," she replied. Lisa had gotten up and returned with a wet washcloth and handed it to Mimi.  
  
"Here, put this on your forehead. It used to help me with the nausea," Lisa suggested. Mimi nodded and shut her eyes. Mark had returned with the water and bagel and set them both on the coffee table.  
  
"Whenever you want to eat it's here," he said.   
  
  
"Thanks Mark. I know I don't tell you this enough, but thank you for everything. Can I ask you a favor though?" She propped herself up higher on the pillows and took a sip of the water.  
Mark nodded and paused in place.  
  
"Yep, anything Meems," he smiled.  
  
"Do you think...well I know Roger should go with me, but do you think you could take me to the clinic sometime today? I know I need to go, but I've been putting it off...and would you?"  
  
"Yeah, of course. It's about eleven now, so we could go anytime you want," Mark reassured her. 

"Okay. I'm just gonna go and lay with him for a while and rest in there. I don't know how much good it'll do," she explained. Just then, the phone rang and Collins reached to answer it.

"Mimi, tell Roger his mom called again," Mark added. She nodded and retreated to the bedroom.

"Yeah, hold on a minute, he's right here," Collins spoke into the phone. He turned around and handed it to Mark.

"Who is it?"

"Jacqueline Ferrell from SFP," Collins answered, raising an eyebrow. Mark took the phone from him and walked to the other side of the couch.

"This is Mark Cohen. Okay, yeah. Seriously? That's great. Tomorrow morning at nine? Yeah, I can make it. Sounds good. See you then. Bye," Mark finished and hung up the phone. Collins was still staring at him apprehensively.

"And?" Collins laughed, now digging into the bagel bags that had been left abandoned. He threw one at Mark, which flew over his head and smacked the wall instead. 

"Well, you remember my film? The one I worked on for three years and finally screened for you guys this past Christmas?"

"Yeah," Collins agreed. He was rummaging around in the refrigerator, finally pulling out the cream cheese.

"I kind of, submitted it to this production company, SFP, on a whim a few days after Christmas. Just to see where I stand and all in the independent film world. Well, Jacqueline's an intern at SFP, and her boss wanted her to call me to set up an interview. She said that if all goes well, they want to offer me an internship with the company," Mark sheepishly grinned.

"Hey! That's great! I'm really happy for you!" Collins shouted out, giving Mark a quick hug.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm pretty psyched about it. I haven't had a real job since freshman year of college," Mark added. 

"Looks like you finally have your shot to make it big," Collins smirked. 

"Sure." Mark rolled his eyes. "I'm really worried about Roger. This isn't like him."

"I know. I didn't want to say anything in front of Mimi, but I think he could really benefit from some kind of therapy. I think he just needs someone else to talk to besides us," Collins suggested.

"Yeah, but do you know how much therapy costs? We can barely afford heat, and now with two pregnant women, living here is going to become a real expense. Plus with Roger's AZT treatment, add in double the cost of food, and baby supplies, how are we going to afford everything? Especially with Benny breathing down our necks lately," Mark sighed. He tossed the cream cheese back in the fridge and walked over to the broken lamp. "Now we're minus one light," he joked sarcastically.

"Well, you know the ATM machine at the Food Emporium is still hotwired. Plus, I'm always here to help you guys out money wise. I'm sure Maureen can donate some baby things. You'll just need two of everything—two cribs, two changing table…any other baby supplies. If your interview goes well tomorrow, which it will, you'll have a paying job by next week, so it's not like you'll be dirt poor. Roger can go back to bartending, maybe go back to the band if he feels up to it and try out some new gigs. You'll see. It'll work out in the long run," Collins said. 

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to get Roger to therapy? We can barely get him to go to the Life Support meetings," Mark complained. He finished cleaning up the lamp and discarded everything in the trash.

"Easy. Threaten to call his mother and tell her everything," Collins suggested.

"Do you know how much he would hate me? Besides, she already knows that he was a junkie. What else can I tell her?" 

"Have her invite him to Scarsdale for a week. If she asks the right questions, he has no choice but to be open with her. Didn't you tell me once that Roger and his mom used to be close?" Collins asked.

"Yeah, they did, before he left for the city at least. He wouldn't go for it," Mark shot back.

"You never know until you try."

*//

Mimi abandoned Collins and Mark to find Roger lying face down on their bed, his chest falling softly up and down. His guitar had been left by his feet, along with a few sheets of papers with lyrics scribbled on them and a pencil. Mimi placed the Fender back in its holder and the music on the dresser before approaching him.

"Roger?"

No answer.

"Roger?" she tried again, whispering in his ear. When there was still no answer, she curled up next to him. It was so cold in the room that she could see her own breath exhaling from her mouth. She shivered a bit and adjusted the heater, only to find that it had been maxed out to the highest setting. She closed her eyes briefly, unaware that Roger now had flipped onto his side to face her. 

"Hey," he answered. Mimi turned over to face him as well and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'm sorry about everything. I don't want you to think I'm some fuck up that needs to turn to drugs all the time. I just…I don't know, slipped up. I thought I was better than that," he explained, refusing to meet her eyes.

"You are better than that, Roger. You made a mistake, it's okay. We all do. You were scared, and you didn't know what to do. I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I probably made you feel worse," she replied. "God, it's so cold in here." Roger nodded and pulled the sheets down on the bed, along with the comforter. He slid under it, pulling her with him, and then tucking the sheets around them both. 

"Better?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah," she replied. 

"I love you and I'm going to love our baby. You know that, right?" Roger asked. He pulled up her shirt and kissed her stomach gently.

"I know. It's just…forget it," Mimi replied. 

"No. Tell me," Roger pushed, now pulling Mimi on top of him. He kissed her forehead, but she pulled away. "You're crying. What's up?"

"I need you to just listen, okay?" she replied, resting a hand on his chest. 

"Okay?"

"This isn't my first pregnancy," Mimi said, talking more to the wall then to Roger.

"Yeah, Benny said something about that," Roger responded, rolling his eyes at the mention of Benny's name.

"He said it because he would know. I'm going to tell you this because I want to be honest with you, so please don't be angry with me. The year before I knocked on your door for you to light my candle, I was dating Benny. He was a regular customer at the club, and one night one thing led to the other and we went back to his place together. We started dating not long after that, and then by November of the same year, I found out I was pregnant. It was his, but he had just married Alison Grey a few months before then and didn't want to sacrifice their relationship. We broke up not long after. I had an abortion a few days before I met you. I used the money he left me. It hurt like hell and I could barely walk after they were done. That's why when I came to you and you asked me if I could make it, I told you I was just a little weak on my feet. I just thought you should know," she finished softly. She could feel Roger tense up underneath her. "Say something?"

"What the fuck do you want me to say? Benny of all people!" he shouted. Mimi backed up from him on the bed and stood up. She walked over to the mirror and pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and pulled off her shirt, digging around in the dresser for something to wear. She finally settled on a black tank top and a short navy shirt that was cut off around the stomach. The faded lettering read "CBGB", probably a hand me down from Roger's old band days. She tore off Roger's boxers and pulled on a tiny pair of baggy cargo pants. She looked over and Roger was changing as well. She perched on the edge of the bed, watching him instead of storming out.

"I need to go to the clinic today. Mark offered to take me, unless you want to," she said, interrupting the silence. 

"Fine."

"Don't sound to thrilled about it," Mimi muttered sarcastically. "I better tell Mark. We'll leave in a minute." She might as well have started a conversation with the wall, seeing as Roger was trying to ignore her. She walked out into the living room and over to Mark and Collins, who were once again deep in conversation.

"Hey Mark, Roger's taking me to the clinic, so I just wanted to let you," Mimi said. It came out a lot nastier than it should have, but no one paid any mind. Mark just nodded and continued his conversation. Roger had come of the bedroom with his leather jacket in hand. He gave Mimi her coat as well, and waited for her at the door.

"Coming?"

*//

The subway ride was silent, with Mimi and Roger pressed up against each other, but not saying a word. Mimi had taken to staring out the window, but felt herself growing dizzier with each minute. She held on to the bar with both hands and closed her eyes, trying to prevent the feeling of nausea she felt rising up in her stomach. Roger seemed to take no notice, until she shifted slightly and bumped up against his elbow. He automatically glanced down at her with concern and grabbed her elbow.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, but then changed her mind and shook her head. 

"I'm really dizzy. And nauseous," she whispered. The train was crowded, mostly with businessmen and women poised in the few seats, typing away at their laptops of talking on their cell phones. Roger led her over to the nearest occupied seat, rubbing her back softly the whole way. He figured that someone had to be nice enough to let Mimi sit down for the rest of the ride.

"Excuse me? My girlfriend's pregnant and she needs to sit down. Do you think you could let her take your seat?" Roger said impatiently. Mimi did look a little green and felt clammy to his touch. The businessman glared at him.

"She doesn't look pregnant to me," he sneered. Roger pressed his face closer to the man's and gave him a look.

"Get the fuck out of the seat if you know what's good for you," Roger threatened. The man's eyes grew wide as he jumped out of his seat. Many of the people around him applauded, but Roger ignored them. He sat Mimi down and kneeled between her legs. She had rested her hands on his shoulders and looked like she was trying not to pass out. Roger was rubbing the sides of her chest gently.

"Do you feel any better?"

"Not really. God Roger, I hate this so much," she tried to laugh, hunching over and resting her head in his chest.

"We'll get off at the next stop and either we'll walk or I'll carry you the rest of the way," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry I blew up at you before," he added. 

"Don't worry about it. I love you," she whispered. 

"I love you too. They just announced the next stop. C'mon, I'll help you up," he added, locking Mimi's fingers in his and helping her stand. He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her walk down the aisle and to the door. When the doors opened, he led Mimi on to the platform. She automatically spotted and ran to the nearest trashcan. Roger followed, rubbing her back the whole time. 

"This is an experience. Me, throwing up in a public trashcan, and I'm not even drunk," she said, pulling a tissue out of her pocket and wiping her mouth. 

They walked the remaining five blocks to the clinic, Mimi still clutching Roger's hand. The waiting room actually wasn't crowded for once, so she filled out the appropriate paperwork and handed it back in without any trouble. The wait was less than ten minutes, and before she realized it a nurse was already calling her name.

"Mimi Marquez?

"That's us, babe," Roger nudged her. She followed the nurse into the exam room. The nurse explained that the counselor would be with them shortly, but for now she'd take blood samples and monitor Mimi's blood pressure.

"Okay, so from what you wrote down on your forms, Mimi, you're seven weeks pregnant and have stopped taking your AZT because of the baby?"

"Yeah. When I went to the hospital, they told me I should stop my treatment," Mimi answered, shifting around in Roger's lap. The nurse shook her head and wrote a few things down on Mimi's chart.

"Actually, certain medical studies have advised to take your AZT during pregnancy to decrease the chances that your fetus contracts HIV. We usually suggest our patients to take it from the second trimester onward. When the baby is born, we set up a treatment plan for six weeks after birth for the child. The doctors won't be able to tell whether or not your baby has developed HIV until anywhere between six to eighteen months of age," she explained.

"Why can't you tell?" Roger interrupted.

"The baby is going to get antibodies from Mimi against HIV even if it doesn't contract the disease. If the baby is negative, these antibodies will disappear anywhere from six to eighteen months. If the baby is positive, after this timeframe the baby will keep testing positive. After the second trimester has started, around 13 weeks, we can continue on full AZT treatment again. For you, that would be around mid March," she answered.

"Okay. Good," Roger said. It was only the 7th of February.

 "Alright Mimi, I'm going to ask you to lay back on the exam table and we'll see if we can get an ultrasound of your baby's first heartbeat," she smiled. Roger moved out of the way and Mimi straightened out on the table, pulling her shirt up in the process. 

"You can do that?" Roger asked, sounding shocked. Mimi playfully smacked his arm and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, we can do that. Just hold on a second and let me find a good position…there." She was pointing at a small blob on the screen, an even tinier portion of which was beating. "See it?"

"Wow," Mimi and Roger said at the same time.

"That's our baby," he added.

"Yeah," Mimi agreed.

"We did that."

"We did," she giggled. Roger bent over to kiss her.

"That must have been some good egg nog," he joked.

"It was all you, baby.  You've trained your boys well," she said, poking him in the ribs.

"Okay Mimi. I'll setup another appointment for you and have your ultrasound pictures waiting or you at the desk," the nurse smiled.

"Hey, can you make copies?" Roger suggested.

"Sure can," she added, before rushing out of the room.

"I think we should celebrate," Roger whispered in Mimi's ear.

"Oh really?" Mimi laughed. "What are you suggesting?"

"Maybe you could try out some of those dances you do at the club on me," he winked.

"Roger Davis, you're really in for it now!"

*//

The next morning, Mark was rushing around in a panic. He had been up with Lisa most of the night, who had been complaining of her stomach aching, which mostly consisted of her running back and forth to his room asking where something was every ten minutes. Mimi and Roger had been louder than ever, and Mark figured it had been to celebrate their first ultrasound, a picture of which was hanging on the refrigerator door of the loft. He adjusted his tie and ran out the door, making it in time for the next subway to the theater district. About twenty minutes and one crowded subway ride later, Mark had arrived outside of the SFP building and was now staring at it nervously. He opened the glass door cautiously and found himself in a small but futuristic reception area. Approaching the front desk, he wrote his name on the sign in sheet and smiled at the harried looking receptionist behind it. 

"Hi, I have a 9 o'clock appointment with Jacqueline Ferrell," Mark said. 

"You don't have an appointment with Jacqueline Ferrell. You have an appointment with her boss, Christina Marcello. Name?" she spat at him angrily.

"Uh, Mark Cohen," he answered.

"Take the elevator to the 10th floor. Make a left and follow the signs," she practically shouted at him. Mark nodded and thanked her before setting off to the elevators. The elevator was completely glass and see-through, and as his passed each floor, Mark saw all the cubicles and offices pass him by. He followed the signs and entered another reception area. Walking towards this receptionist carefully, he took a deep breath before speaking.

"Hi, can I help you with something?" she smiled brightly.

"Yeah, hi. I'm Mark Cohen, and I have a 9 o'clock appointment with Christina Marcello," he remembered, not wanting to offend anyone else.

"You must be Mark Cohen. Welcome to SFP," she greeted him. "Christina should be in her office at the moment, and Jackie's not here yet," she frowned. "But take a seat over there and I'll let you know when she'll see you."

"Okay, great." Mark picked up a magazine off of the table and started flipping through it, glancing at the clock every few seconds. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, a tall, redheaded woman approached the receptionist. She quickly walked over to Mark and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Christina Marcello. Sorry about the wait. My husband took the wrong subway line this morning and got completely lost, so I had to give him directions," she laughed, sticking out her hand.

"Not a problem," Mark answered, leaving the magazine behind.

"If you'll follow me into my office, we'll wait for Jackie there. She phoned in and said she'd be a little late this morning," Christina added. She returned to her desk and started fielding phone calls automatically, so Mark took this opportunity to relax. Ten minutes later, Christina's door opened again and a thin woman about Mark's height with light blonde hair stepped in. Christina hung up the phone automatically and smiled at her.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "It was an adventure trying to drive through the city this morning."

"It's not a problem. Mark, this is Jacqueline Ferrell, one of my interns," Christina introduced. Jackie smiled slowly and shook Mark's hand.

"Just call me Jax," she said. Mark nodded. He couldn't help but stare at her. She was beautiful, but she looked as if she was trying not to draw attention to herself. He noticed her wince slightly as she sat down and frowned. Her right wrist had an ace bandage wrapped around it, and both sides of her collarbone had some visible bruising surrounding it, even though it had attempted to be concealed. 

"Mark, we reviewed your film last week and we like what we see. You have a lot of potential and in all honesty, we'd like you to come and work for us here. You'd start out as an intern, basically working with film editing at first. You and Jackie will be working together to review all the independent films that come through our doors," Christina said. "It's a great opportunity for you."

"What about my film?" Mark questioned.

"I'm going to hand it off to my supervisor, and throw it in front of some film execs upstairs. From there, we'll see if we can get in on the independent movie channels, and then it'll move on to the film festivals with a bit of luck," she joked.

"Wow, that's really…wow," Mark laughed. "That's great."

"Yeah, it is. It can be a long process. It doesn't happen overnight, but if they like what they see, it could happen a lot sooner than you expect. We just need a script and for everyone in the video to sign this form to consent to the film being aired eventually," Christina added, pushing a form towards him. 

"Okay."

"So what do you say, Mark?" 

"Yes, definitely," Mark answered.

"Great. You start Monday from 9-3. You and Jackie will be working together frequently, so it would be a good idea for you both to get to know each other better," she suggested. "If you'll excuse me, I have another meeting to get to, but just sign this contract for me Mark and hand it to Jackie before you leave and we're off to a good start." Christina exited the room, and Jackie stood up shortly after. Mark noticed how she made sure she gripped the table to support herself.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jackie turned her head to look back at him. She shrugged.

"Yeah, it's nothing. I'm just a little sore," she said.

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Car accident. My boyfriend likes to drive a little crazy sometimes. Or ex boyfriend," she laughed politely.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mark apologized, wishing he hadn't said anything.

"Don't be sorry. He was an asshole anyway. You know how it goes," Jackie smiled. "But anyway, my number's at the bottom of your copy of the contract, so if you ever need anything or have any questions give me a call. See you Monday," She waved with her good hand before walking away.

"Yeah, Monday."

*//

A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers. I love you guys. This story is going to take a real turn in the upcoming weeks that I post, so look out for that. =) 


	8. 08

Chapter 8

*//

"Oooh Marky, you made it! Congratulations sweetheart!" Maureen squealed, kissing Mark on the cheek. Word about Mark's new internship had spread quickly, and Maureen had arranged a party of sorts at the Life Café for the same night as his interview with Christina. Maureen and Benny, however, were the only two people sitting in the near abandoned booth in the corner of the crowded restaurant. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but apparently some people can't get here on time," she pouted, glaring at Benny.

"What did I do? I made it on time," Benny laughed, taking a sip of his beer. 

"Don't worry about it, Mo." Mark took a seat on the end of the table. 

"So Mark, you've finally got a real job. I knew you'd make it eventually," Benny said, sarcastically applauding him.

"Thanks. So where's the rest of the gang?" Mark asked curiously. It wasn't like any of them to miss out on a good party, especially when they were all under the assumption that Benny was paying. "Am I the only one that received the cryptic message asking me to meet you here?"

"Probably," Benny muttered under his breath. Maureen sharply elbowed him in his side. Just at that moment, Collins and Lisa walked in, both armed with shopping bags. 

"Hey guys," Lisa greeted cheerfully, sliding in next to Benny. Collins took a seat next to her, smirking the entire time. Mark raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Something was definitely up. 

"Where'd you go, Lisa?" Maureen asked, eyeing the shopping bags carefully.

"Collins had off today, and we were both tired of sitting around our apartments, so he took me shopping. I put some of David's money to good use," Lisa rolled her eyes. "I needed some maternity clothes anyway, since my pants don't exactly fit anymore, and I picked up some things for the baby. Bottles, pacifiers, diapers, just to get me started I guess. Collins had a blast," she giggled.

"That I did." He noted the strange stares and shrugged. "What? Some of those baby clothes are adorable."

"You'd make a great father, Collins," Maureen smiled, patting him on the arm. Collins only smiled and laughed.

"Could you imagine Angel as a parent? That kid would be the best dressed toddler in town," Benny added. 

"This is true." Maureen giggled. "I miss her so much sometimes, especially when I'm out shopping. I'll see something she would have loved and want to bring it home to her, but then I remember that I can't because she's not here." Collins took Maureen's hand and squeezed it gently. 

"We're all moving on the best we can," he comforted.

"Especially you, Collins," Lisa smiled brightly. 

"What does she mean?" Maureen inquired, leaning in closer to listen in.

"Well, okay—since I can't get out of it now!" he chuckled. Everyone around the table was now awaiting his answer. "I've been dating this guy, Dan, since Christmas I guess? I met him back in October, right after Angel died, at a Life Support meeting. He just lost his partner to AIDS a few months before I lost Angel, so we had that in common. He was just always there when I needed someone to talk to, and we spent New Year's Eve together and it's been great ever since then. He's an interior designer, a favorite among all the rich uptown couples and celebrities."

"Are you two serious yet?" Maureen added nosily.

"Jeez Maureen, leave Collins alone!" Mark teased her.

"Serious enough that he's moving in to my apartment next week," Collins answered, laughing.

"AND WE HAVEN'T MET HIM YET? Thomas Collins where are your manners?" Maureen squealed a little too loudly. A few people even turned around to stare at her.

"Yeah, and how come we haven't met the infamous Chad yet? I'm starting to think he doesn't exist," Mark said. Maureen turned a few shades of red and glared at him.

"Well—at least I'm getting some!" Maureen shot back. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Wow, because we all needed to know that," he laughed.

"Okay children, simmer down," Collins interrupted.

"Oh Mark, congratulations by the way!" Lisa said, abruptly trying to change the topic. She ran over and threw her arms around Mark. 

"Yeah, congrats," Collins added, hugging Mark as well.

"Aww, it's a Kodak moment!" Maureen laughed. She pulled out her camera and snapped a photo of Lisa and Collins with their arms around Mark, who looked petrified.

"What can I get you guys?" A waitress had appeared at the end of the table, ordering pad in hand.

"Pina Colada."

"Beer."

"Wine AND Beer!" Maureen corrected Mark.

"I'll have a strawberry daiquiri," Lisa joked.

"Excuse me? I don't think so. You're pregnant and underage," Mark smirked at her.

"Yeah, make that a cherry coke instead," Lisa stuck out her tongue at Mark. "You're no fun."

"Hence why I'm your big brother," Mark added sarcastically. 

"Who said you could start the party without us?" Roger voiced. He and Mimi had just walked in. 

"Who said you were invited?" Lisa asked. 

"Watch it, you," Roger growled, motioning for Mark to move over. He pulled Mimi onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey Rog, how about getting me a beer?" Lisa begged him.

"If you're nice to me for the rest of the night I'll think about it," Roger grinned, but changed his mind when Mark kicked him. "I mean…no. The voice of reason says no," Mimi giggled and buried her face in his chest.

The party progressed for the rest of the night. It was the first time in a long time that they had all gotten along so well. Even Roger and Benny were joking around like old friends, but every once in awhile Mimi would notice the look of jealousy on Roger's face and end up pulling him a little bit closer to her. Lisa and Benny seemed to hit it off the best out of everyone. Benny kept making Lisa laugh every few minutes, much to Roger's annoyance.

"At least someone finds him funny. Just wait until he starts overcharging her for rent," Roger whispered.

"Behave," Mimi reprimanded him.

"Sorry, I forgot. You seem to be the number one Benny fan lately," Roger spat, downing another shot. The waitress had brought about twenty shot glasses out, filled with a mix of cherry coke and 151, and they seemed to be going fast. Roger had already racked up four empty glasses. Mimi ignored his comment, but took the opportunity to slide of his lap instead. 

"Anyway, Joanne phoned me last week to tell me that she's moving to Boston. She was offered a better job with a well to do law firm in the city. She's already packed, but she wanted to stop by to say her goodbyes and everything. I think her flight leaves Tuesday morning," Collins said, trying to change the subject.

"Hmmph," Maureen pouted.

"C'mon Maureen, don't tell me you're still fighting with her. You know you miss her, Chad or no Chad." Mark teased.

"Well I don't. I'm quite happy with Chad, thank you very much!"

"Before Maureen scratches all our eyes out, I know some of us have a few surprises of our own," he coughed, pointing to himself.

"Or just you, Benny," Roger said bitterly. Mimi sighed and decided to take her chances with a shot, pregnant or not. "You can't have that!" Roger shouted angrily, pulling it away from her. Instead, he drank it. 

"I think you should slow down on the drinks, buddy," Collins said. He slid the tray of shot glasses towards his end of the table. 

"I think I'm in charge of how much I drink," Roger replied testily. Mark could tell Roger was starting to get drunk by the way he was mouthing off to everyone.

"No, actually, I really think you've had enough," Mimi added. 

"Whatever." Roger slunk back in his seat and rested his hands behind his head. Noticing the tension in the air, Benny cleared his throat once again.

"Anyway, well…Alison and I are getting a divorce," Benny continued. 

"Sweetie, I'm sorry to hear that," Maureen comforted. "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

"Yeah. I didn't get along with her father that well anyway. The only thing he was good for was his money," he laughed. "She's leaving me some settlement money, so I'm going to furnish that two bedroom apartment on the first floor. I already moved out and everything," he finished. 

"If you ever need someone to talk to, we're here for you, no matter how much of a pain in the ass you can be sometimes," Mark joked.

"Thanks. That means a lot," Benny replied. Mimi stood up suddenly and motioned in the opposite direction.

"I'm gonna use the bathroom. I'll be right back," she said. Mark took this opportunity to go off on Roger.

"What the fuck is up your ass lately? You need to let this Benny shit go and be there for her! I don't care how jealous you are of him or what happened between them, but it's in the past. You have her and your baby now to think about. She doesn't need to be stressed out over stupid shit like this," Mark whispered, lowering his voice so that Benny and the others wouldn't hear.

"I know, okay Mark? So just lay the fuck off," Roger growled back.

"What's going on over there? Is that Mimi? What's she doing laying on the ground?" Maureen questioned stupidly. A crowd had formed near the bar, some of the members murmuring to themselves.

"FUCK! MIMI!" Roger yelled, jumping over the back of the booth. Mark was hot on his heels, followed by the rest of their group. Roger practically dived through the crowd and knelt over Mimi's motionless body, cradling her head in his lap. "Someone call 911!" he shouted. Mark and Maureen were attempting to push the crowd back away from Mimi and Roger. 

"I'm already on it," Benny replied. He was talking frantically on his cell phone, while Collins wrapped his arm around Lisa.

"Mimi, wake up. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Just please wake up," Roger cried. Mark rested a hand on his shoulder and kept looking back and forth between the doors, hoping the paramedics would arrive as soon as possible. Roger took off his leather jacket and draped it over Mimi's petite body.

All they could do was pray.

*//

The ambulance arrived twenty minutes later, greeted by a very pissed off Roger and Collins.

"She's HIV positive and somewhere between seven and eight weeks pregnant," Mark said, relying the information to the nearest paramedic. She's twenty years old," he added.

Roger was now sitting distraught in a corner, clutching on to the nearest person's hand, which just so happened to belong to Lisa.

"They're taking her now. Go with her," Mark commanded. Roger just nodded his head and numbly followed the paramedics outside. "We'll meet you there. It'll be okay, Rog."

Benny, Collins, Maureen, Mark, and Lisa drove to the hospital in Benny's transportation of choice, his Range Rover. The ride was completely silent, except for the occasional prayer from Collins. 

"She has to be okay. I don't know—I don't know what to do without her," Maureen spoke softly, starting to cry silently. Mark turned around from the front seat and took her hand.

"Don't think that way Mo. It'll be okay," Mark said. Benny stopped in front of the emergency room entrance.

"Get out here. I'll find somewhere to park and meet you all inside," Benny stated. Everyone rushed out, Mark in the lead. He scanned the waiting room for Roger, and when he didn't find him as easily as he hoped, he rushed up to the admit desk.

"I'm looking for someone that was just brought in unconscious. Her name's Mimi Marquez," Mark asked, breathless.

"Accompanied by a tall, blonde, arrogant young man?"

"Yeah."

"That way. Trauma five," she pointed. Mark nodded and jogged down the hall. Roger was sitting on a chair, his head cradled in his hands. His eyes were red and puffy, and when he saw Mark he just looked up and didn't say anything. Mark bent down in front of him and wrapped his arms around him. Roger just started crying into his shoulder.

"It's not your fault," Maureen said. She sat down in a chair opposite him and rubbed his back while Mark continued hugging him.

"They won't tell me anything. God Mark, why won't they tell me anything!" Roger sobbed.

"She's in good hands," Collins comforted. 

*//

Thirty minutes passed by. Benny had finally shown up, and was busy trying to find out any information for Roger, but had recently given up hope. Maureen was currently leading everyone in a sad attempt at campfire songs, which were getting at least a few smiles out of everyone but Roger. Around midnight, a female doctor finally exited the trauma room and automatically approached them. Roger and Mark both stood up.

"How is she?" Roger blurted out.

"She's fine. She gave us quite a scare, but we stabilized her condition and she's awake and alert," the woman continued.

"Her condition being?" Collins inquired. 

"What about the baby?" Roger said. His voice was cracking as he tried to hold back a fresh wave of tears. Maureen wrapped an arm around him for support.

"The baby is fine as well and hooked up to a monitor. Mimi blacked out in the restaurant because she was severely anemic. It's quite common with expectant mothers, especially when they suffer from rigorous morning sickness. It's even more common with her HIV status," she continued.

"English please?" Roger scowled.

"Ignore him," Mark apologized. The doctor smiled and turned back to Roger.

"Basically, Mimi's red blood cells were iron deficient and started producing less oxygen, making her heart pump harder to keep oxygen flowing to the brain and other parts of the body, especially to the baby. She was brought in with tachycardia, or a rapid heartbeat, so it took us some time to slow her heart down. That's anemia in a nutshell for you," she smirked at Roger.

"So she's okay? Can I see her now?" 

"You sure can. She's going to have to stay overnight for observation, but I'm sure I can arrange for you to stay the night with her. I already prescribed iron pills for Mimi to take, along with prenatal vitamins, and I started her back on the AZT treatment. When she's released tomorrow, I want her to take it easy for the first week back, resting as much as possible." The doctor nodded her head politely and walked away.

"Thank you!" Mark shouted after her. 

"Hey Mark, I'm going to take Lisa back to the loft. She looks pretty worn out," Benny said. Lisa was stretched out across three chairs, half asleep. 

"Okay. I'll just take the subway back with Mo," Mark replied. "If that's okay with you?" He added, turning towards Maureen.

"Not a problem, pookie."

*//

Benny led Lisa towards the apartment building, hands in his pockets. Lisa yawned and paused by the stairs.

"Do you want to spend the night down here in my place? I mean, I don't want you staying all alone upstairs and who knows when Mark and Maureen will be back," Benny offered. Lisa nodded and followed Benny into his apartment. "You can take my bed and I'll sleep on the couch," he suggested.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. You can stay if you want," she laughed, already pulling the covers down on the bed.

"Anxious to get in bed with me, I see?" he joked, noticing Lisa already huddled under the comforter. Benny quickly stripped down to his boxers and pulled the sheets over him as well. Lisa flipped on her side and faced him.

"I'm sorry to hear about your wife," Lisa apologized.

"I barely saw her anyway. It was more of a money arrangement than anything else." 

"I just wanted to say thank you for everything," she added, lightly kissing him on the lips. "So thank you."

Benny nodded and deepened the kiss, but then pulled away quickly.

"Don't pull away. I don't regret that," she laughed. 

"Are you sure about this? About us, whatever we are?" he laughed.

"What do you want us to be?"

*//

Roger quietly entered the trauma room. The lights were dimmed to the lowest setting, and the only noise was emitting from the various machines and tubes that Mimi was hooked up to. She was lying motionless on the bed, her eyes shut. For a second Roger thought that the doctors were lying to him until he saw the slow rise and fall of her chest. Her hair was fanned out across the hospital pillow, reflecting the moonlight that shone through the window. He stood there, lost in thought, until Mimi's voice brought him back to reality.

"Hey stranger," she whispered hoarsely.

"I'm sorry," Roger replied. He pulled up a chair and sat down in it, cradling Mimi's free hand in his own. The other was attached to an IV that was slowly dripping on the other side of her bed.

"Stop apologizing. I'm not blaming you for anything. It would have happened sooner or later," she smiled softly. She motioned for Roger to join her on the bed, and he did so. Mimi curled up against him and rested her head on his chest.

"I thought I lost you back there."

"I'm a fighter, what can I say?" she joked.

"I want to tell you something, but I don't want you to be mad at me for it," Roger said quickly.

"Okay?"

"I mailed my mother a copy of the ultrasound photo yesterday night. I give her 72 hours before she calls me screaming fanatically about the joys of being a grandmother. Then sometime next week she'll invite you, me, Mark, and possibly Lisa, to stay with her so she can celebrate with the whole family I just wanted to warn you," he laughed.

"Oh babe, I couldn't be mad at you for that. When was the last time you saw her?" 

"I don't know…maybe six or seven years? It was before I met April. I pissed my whole family off at my sister's first modeling shoot and haven't heard from anyone but my mother since then."

"Your sister is a model? Wait…maybe I don't want to know what you did," Mimi giggled.

"Yeah, well, I guess that's why you could call her. I had my band, she had her commercials. I guess she still is—or was. She lives somewhere in Europe now. Paris, I think," Roger pulled at the thin hospital blanket.

"You never told me about your family before," Mimi replied, still picking at her IV tape.

"There's not much to tell. It's only my older brother Jimmy, Lindsey, me, and Heather. Jimmy's married and has a kid. Heather probably has a rich Italian boyfriend. Lindsey and I were the closest. She was only eighteen months older than me. I haven't spoken to her in about five years. I don't really like talking about them. They probably don't even think about me anymore."

"That's not true. Your mom still calls all the time, except _you_ don't want to talk to her," Mimi laughed. "Maybe this baby will bring everyone closer together," she added, kissing him deeply.

"You just wait until you meet them, and don't say I didn't warn you," Roger laughed. "I love you."

"Love you too. Now move over because you're hogging my pillow," Mimi said, smacking his arm away.

*//

Mark peeked through the exam door. Mimi and Roger had finally reconciled from the looks of their heavy make out session. Maureen had left about 15 minutes ago with Chad, who she had called to pick her up. Mark decided to stick around awhile longer just in case Roger needed anything. Deciding to take a walk to give Roger some more time with Mimi, Mark found himself longing for his camera, which was currently sitting in a box collecting dust in the loft. Mark noticed a familiar face standing by the pay phone, digging through her purse. She seemed to be having a hard time managing the task, judging from the sling that her right arm was in.

"Jackie?" Mark called out to her. She whipped around, visibly uncomfortable that she had been spotted by someone she knew.

"Oh, hi Mark."

"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time. 

"You first," Jackie laughed.

"Oh, my friend was just brought here. She was anemic and passed out at a restaurant a bunch of my friends and I were at," he said. "What about you?"

"I dislocated my shoulder. Well actually, my boyfriend dislocated my shoulder, then took off," she winced.

"I thought he was your ex boyfriend? You should stay away from him," Mark replied. He barely knew Jackie—they had just met this morning besides talking on the phone a few times—but no one deserved to be beaten the way Jackie obviously was. When Mark saw her close up, he noticed that the bruising around her cheek from earlier in the day had darkened.

"Jesus, that looks pretty bad," Mark exclaimed. When he noticed the look on her face, he automatically recoiled. "I mean—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…yeah I'm officially an idiot."

"It's okay. I had an expired restraining order slapped on him a few months ago. I just never got around to going back to another court hearing. He came by my place to get some of his things that he left there, got really pissed off, and just went off on me," she shrugged. "It happens."

"Yeah, but it shouldn't happen. Is someone picking you up?"

"Actually I was going to take the subway," she answered. She finally found what she was looking for—a pack of cigarettes—and pulled one out. 

"At this time of night? What are you, serious?" Mark laughed.

"Yeah, I was," she shrugged. "I just don't want him showing up at my door at 3 in the morning banging on it like moron."

"I know I just met you today and all, but if you want you could stay at my place tonight? Both of my roommates are staying here for the night anyway, and I have empty beds all around. The heat sucks and there's barely any hot water for showers, but it's someplace safe and I doubt he could find you there. I swear I'm not some pervert," Mark joked.

"I'll take you word on that, but yeah, thank you.  It's better than me walking around the streets waiting to get jumped. You don't have any crazy roommates do you?" she teased back.

"Well, it depends on what your definition of crazy is. Crazy roommates, not really. Just cranky and whiny. Crazy psychopath landlord, yes…"

*//

Mark and Jackie reached the loft around 2 AM. The tent city in the opposite lot was just about the only place alive at this time of night. Mark led Jackie up the four flights of stairs and paused before the loft door.

"It's not much, but it's home. I guess. In some pathetic sort of way," he said. He flipped on the lights and tossed his keys on the table, then locked the door behind him. Jackie carefully walked into the living room and attempted to take her coat off as gently as possible. 

"Lisa?" Mark called, quickly checking her room. "I guess she's not here."

"Who's Lisa?" Jackie had now sat down on the couch. Mark noticed that she looked emotionally drained. He walked over to her and placed some of the pillows under her arm, propping it up against the back of the couch.

"My sister. My friend Benny was supposed to bring her home. Maybe she decided to stay with him or something," Mark finished messing with the pillows and made his way into the kitchen.

"Yeah, maybe. Wow, okay and the pain is really starting to kick in now," Jackie winced, shutting her eyes briefly. Mark noticed her rest a hand against her chest and take a deep breath.

"Do you want something for it? We probably have some Advil or Tylenol lying around somewhere," Mark offered. He ran off to the bathroom and returned with a bottle of Tylenol, then retreated to the kitchen and came back one more with a glass of water.

"That would be great. I have a prescription for some painkillers, but I'll just deal with that tomorrow." She picked up the glass and downed two of the pills. 

"What did the doctor say?" Mark asked.

"Well, the asshole cracked one of my ribs, bruised three or four more, sprained my wrist, bruised both my cheekbone and both sides of my collarbone. He dislocated my shoulder by slamming me repeatedly into a wall. He also dragged me down five steps, but luckily I made it out of there without any further damage. I shouldn't even be telling you this. I don't really know you, and you probably don't want to hear it…" she shrugged.

"That's a lot of shit for someone to go through. And don't worry about me not wanting to hear it. I'm Mark Cohen. People tell me everything, whether I want to know it or not," he laughed. 

"I really appreciate this, Mark."

"Don't worry about it. It's not a problem." 

"I really appreciate all. It means a lot to me to know that there's at least one decent person out there," Jackie answered. She busied herself with trying to get comfortable on the couch. Mark took a seat across from her and studied her for a minute. She was tall but thin, but was trying to make herself look incredibly small by tucking herself into the corner of the couch. A few strands of her white blonde hair were messily framing her face while the rest was pulled back into a high ponytail. "So enough about me. Let me here about all the wonders of Mark Cohen and I'll let you know a little more about my life," she smiled. Mark noticed how perfect she looked when she did that. God, did she have a great smile. 

"There's not much to tell. I've lived in this place since my sophomore year of college, so that's probably about five years now. My ex roommate, Benny and I lived in a dorm together at Brown University until we couldn't take it anymore, so we bought this place for pretty cheap in the winter of '92. About a year after that, my best friend from back home, Roger, moved in with us. He was in a band, _The Well Hungarians_, and they played a few gigs around the city back in their day. Collins moved in six months after Roger. Up until the spring of '94, it was just the four of us struggling to make a living. Collins took a few teaching jobs here and then, and Roger had the little money from his gigs and occasional bartending, which is apparently something all bad ass rockers have to do or else. Benny had this dream of turning the building into a Cyber Arts studio, but just needed investors. I was just this guy with the hand me down camera that filmed everything and everyone. My girlfriend Maureen moved in, and Collins moved out into an apartment closer to NYU where he landed a semi permanent teaching position. Maureen was a starving actress, as she liked to call herself. She said it sounded better than "starving artist". 

  
"That's true," Jackie giggled.

"Pretty soon after, Roger started getting into heavy drugs with the band, especially heroin. He found a new girlfriend, April, and she started hanging around here practically every day and night. It was only natural that she move in with us. Benny found himself engaged to Alison Grey, and moved out as soon as he could, leaving just me, Maureen, Roger and April. April killed herself in May of '95 after finding out she had HIV. Roger either contracted it from her or she had contracted it from Roger. Who knows? Maureen left me at the end of the year for another woman, Joanne, after discovering she was a lesbian. Roger found solace in Mimi, and there was me, still alone. Mimi was the one who was rushed to the hospital tonight, and Roger's there with her now. That's basically a crappy summary of my life in the Village," Mark laughed.

"So who lives here now?" Jackie asked.

"Roger, Mimi, me, and my seventeen year old pregnant sister Lisa, who randomly showed up on my doorstep last month. I still haven't figured out the whole story of why she's here and how she got pregnant," he shrugged. "Not to mention that Mimi's pregnant as well. It's two emotionally charged pregnant women in a loft with one guitarist with an attitude and a wannabe filmmaker."

"Hey, I don't know about that wannabe filmmaker part. Your film was pretty good. One of the best we've seen in a long time," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She yawned brightly.

"So what about you? I don't mean to be keeping you…if you want to sleep you're more than welcome to," Mark stuttered.

"No, it's okay. I like the company. Well, I went to NYU and just graduated last year, actually. I'll be 22 on Thursday. This internship is probably one of my first real jobs. I have a degree in photography, and I've been a dancer since I was 3 years old. I'm originally from Australia, but I moved to LA when I was 12. I love the city, minus my asshole ex boyfriend, but who wants to complain? Hmm, what else? My parents moved back to Australia a few months ago, along with my little sister Kate, who's 19. That's just a bunch of random crap about me," she finished. "I can't really think of anything else, or maybe it's just the drugs." Jackie yawned again.

"Wow, you must be exhausted. It's close to 3 AM anyway. You can take my room, Roger's room, or my sister's room, or if you're more comfortable on the couch that's fine. It doesn't matter to me. 

"I don't know…I don't want to put anyone out if they come home," she explained.

"Then just take my room. I'll stay on the couch tonight. I'll be closer to the phone anyway if Roger calls," Mark said. Jackie nodded. 

"Good night," she added.

"Night."


	9. 09

Part 9

[A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this part posted. I was going through some emotional and personal issues this week, and I wasn't feeling up to writing or posting anything. I'm feeling much better now, so I'll be posting again without a problem. Just a note: I used an online translator for the Spanish translations, since I only speak a little Spanish. I don't know how good the translator was, so if it's screwed up a bit, it's the translator's fault and not mine lol. 3 Mari]

*//

The phone started ringing exactly at 8 o'clock that Friday morning. Mark groggily shifted on the beaten couch and groped for his glasses, then for the phone itself. Not wanting to wake Jackie up, he answered it on the second ring, a very rare task that was completed at the loft.

"Hello?"

"Roger? Is that you sweetheart?" Mark groaned at Mrs. Davis' terms of endearment.

"Sorry Mrs. Davis, it's me, Mark," he yawned, ruffling his hair a bit.

"How are you dear? Do you happen to know where my delinquent son is?"

"I'm fine. Roger went out to get some groceries," he lied. Sure Mark, tell Roger's mother that he's in the hospital with his girlfriend. Do you really want her to show up at your door too?

"Oh. Okay. Well when he gets in, can you pass along the message that I called? I mean it, Mark. He knows how to use a phone," she laughed.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Davis."

"Bye now."

"Bye," Mark put the phone back on the coffee table and flipped over on his side. It had taken him forever to fall asleep last night, so he figured that he could at least try to get in another two hours before anyone else started calling or pounding on the loft door. Not even five minutes later, the phone started ringing again. Mark groaned and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey lame ass, it's your favorite roommate," Roger joked on the other end.

"_Great_." 

"Uh, okay. Mimi's still sleeping, but I just called to let you know that the doctors are gonna discharge her within the hour, so we should be home by eleven latest. I called Benny and he said he'd pick us up, so it's better than taking a cab across town. What's eating you?"

"Nothing. It's just a little early for a warm and fuzzy conversation," Mark grumped. "I'll see you then. Tell Mimi I said hi."

"Later." Roger voiced.  Mark poked the screen button on the answering machine and turned the ringer off on the phone. He was definitely going back to sleep now, hopefully without any extra interruptions.

*//

"Hey, good morning." Lisa smiled and drew her arms closer to herself as she walked towards the kitchen. Benny was poised over the stove, having some difficulty flipping what appeared to be pancakes.

"Hey, that smells really great," she replied, kissing him on the cheek. Benny laughed and shrugged.

"I didn't know what you would want, because I couldn't remember if you were still going through the morning sickness and everything, but hell, I was hungry, and I figured that no one could resist my mother's pancake recipe, not even someone who happens to be four months pregnant," Lisa smiled and took a seat at the small kitchen table, starting to pick at the plate in front of her.

"This is really good. Wow," Lisa said. She couldn't help but feel attracted to him at the moment, even though she realized that Mark, then Roger, would kill her if they found out what happened last night. Or kill Benny.  

"You're okay with this—us, I mean?  If you're not, that's okay—I just wanted to…" he struggled

"Yeah, as long as you're okay with everything. All things happen for a reason, right?" Lisa shrugged. "Let's just not tell anyone yet, I guess. At least not until I turn eighteen in two months. I need to figure out a way to tell Mark without him having a heart attack."

"Good luck with that," Benny laughed. "But I'm fine with everyone not knowing for now. We'll work around it. I'll still be able to see you though, right?"

"Definitely. Mark doesn't have as much control over me as he thinks," she added, rolling her eyes. Benny kissed the top of her forehead and pocketed his keys.

"Okay, well Roger called before and told me that they're releasing Mimi, so I'm going to be the dutiful landlord and pick them both up from the hospital before Roger kicks my ass," he joked dramatically.

Benny left a few minutes later, leaving Lisa to decide whether or not she wanted to go back upstairs or not. She finally figured that she'd be better off taking a shower in Benny's apartment compared to Mark's, and that she would go upstairs after she was done and pray that Mark didn't pick up on anything suspicious.

There was just one problem—thin walls, and the fact that Maureen lived next door.

*//

Roger slammed down the payphone and continued back down the hall towards Mimi's room, staring at the tiling of the floor. He had spent the majority of the night watching Mimi drift in and out of sleep and had barely fallen asleep himself when the doctors informed him at seven AM that Mimi could be released. He hurried down the corridor, unknowingly ramming his shoulder into someone blocking the admit desk. 

"Jesus Christ, if it isn't Roger Davis!" Roger looked up and stared at the person walking towards him. "Never expected to meet up with you in a place like this. A bar, maybe, but damn, you look different." Roger laughed when he finally realized who it was.

"Hey Wes, how have you been?" 

"I think the question is, how have _you_ been? I haven't seen you around my place for over a year now," Wes said, ruffling his spiky black hair. It was still the same Wes Marcaly that Roger used to know years ago when _The Well Hungarians_ were still together. Wes had introduced Roger to the other band members—Travis, Vinnie, and Evan, but had also hooked up Roger with April and drugs. Roger hadn't seen or heard from any of the former band members since April died.

"I've been okay. Coping, I guess. I don't go out as much as I used to," Roger shrugged. "Not my thing anymore I guess."

"Yeah, I understand. We were all pretty fucked up back then."

"Yeah, we were. Does your uncle still own the bar on 14th street?" Roger asked, trying to make idle conversation. He really wanted to get back to Mimi and see if she was awake yet, but he hadn't seen Wes in a hell of a long time.

"Yep. He had it renovated a few months ago and it's off the hook now. It's a real party place—great for band practice and everything. You should stop by sometime, if you get a chance. Travis and Evan practically live there," he laughed.

"I'll see. Have you heard from Vinnie?" Roger asked. Wes looked down and away for a second before looking back at Roger.

"Vinnie died last year. AIDS. I thought you knew," Wes answered.

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry to hear that." Roger didn't know what to say, so he resorted to staring at the clock on the wall. 'Just like I will,' Roger thought to himself.

"But speaking of Travis and Evan, we've been looking to reform the band for awhile now. We'd have you on vocals and guitar, Travis on backup vocals, and Evan on electric. I'd be the drummer like usual. It would be like old times, I guess. They're supposed to stop by tonight at the club around 10, and it would be great if you could meet up with us. You don't have to give us an answer or anything right away, but it would sure beat the hell out of auditioning for two spots instead of one," Wes practically begged. Roger laughed and rolled his eyes slightly.

"I'll see what I'm up to. I need to bring Mimi—my girlfriend, home from here first and make sure she's okay. Do you need me to bring my Fender?" Roger asked. As much as he hated to leave Mimi, he knew that he needed to get out on his own, away from everybody. 

"Yeah, that'd be great. Listen, I need to get back upstairs to Lori anyway—"

"What's Lori doing upstairs?" Lori was Wes' girlfriend from back in the day and had been April's best friend. Roger was almost surprised to hear that they were still together after all the years that had gone by.

"Dude, you really have missed a lot. She had our baby a few hours ago. A girl, Gwen Amber. 7 lbs, 2 oz. I came down here to sign the insurance forms. I'm telling you now, it feels pretty damn good when you bring a child into the world."

'Yeah, you have no idea,' Roger thought to himself. In a little less than eight months he and Mimi would have their own baby. "She's letting you go out tonight?"

"Yeah, especially after I spent 28 hours in labor and delivery with her. I don't think my hand will ever recover enough for me to play the drums," Wes smirked. 

"Congratulations, man. Listen, I have to go and see if Mimi was discharged yet, but I'll try to make it for tonight," Roger said quickly. Wes nodded and resumed filling out the forms.

"Yeah, I'll see you then. It was good seeing you, Roger. I mean that." Wes gave Roger a half smile and walked away in the opposite direction.

*//

Roger paused outside the trauma room door, noting how Benny and Mimi were chatting it up like old friends. Benny must have arrived sometime during the twenty minutes that Roger had gone to the payphone, to get coffee, and bumped into Wes. Roger had to admit that every time he saw Benny, there was this pang of jealousy that ran through him, and he could never shake it aside. 

"Hey," Roger said, ignoring his feelings and walking over to the other side of Mimi's bed. He kissed her right in front of Benny, hoping that he would take the hint and leave.

"Well, I'm going to get the car. I'll see you out front." Roger smirked. He did.

"Hey. I missed you. Where'd you go?" Mimi asked, her voice still a little raspy from the night before. She was fully dressed and perched on the edge of the bed. 

"I went to the payphone to call Mark and to get some coffee. Then I bumped into one of my old friends from the band, Wes. He wants me to drop by his bar tonight," Roger replied. "If that's okay with you, I mean."

"Roger. Jesus, you don't have to ask me if you can go out everywhere. It's fine. Go, have a good time. I'll still be here when you get back," she giggled. "God, I really want to get out of here. I hate hospitals. It reminds me of Angel and…ew, I even smell like it," she pouted. Roger sighed and lifted her chin, kissing her softly. "Mmm, aren't we the Romeo tonight," she moaned softly into his mouth. 

"Don't do that," Roger laughed, pretending to push her away. 

"Don't do what?"

"That—thing you do with my mouth!" 

"Aww, I'm sorry. I don't exactly want to get it on in a hospital either," she giggled. "But um, you better take care of that. Down boy," she poked him in his ribs. Roger looked down and blushed. At the very next moment, a nurse entered the room, wheeling an empty wheelchair in front of her.

"Shit! Great timing, Mimi!" Roger said, blushing an even deeper shade of red.

"Mimi Marquez? The doctor suggested that you be wheeled out when you were discharged, so I'll—oh dear, I hope I didn't interrupt anything. I'll—um, leave this with you then." The nurse smiled and exited as fast as she came in. 

"Mimi—" Roger whined, now fully embarrassed.

"If you just calm down, it'll go away. I'm sure they've seen it all," Mimi comforted him, cracking up. She was laughing so hard that tears were starting to form in her eyes. She then walked over to the wheelchair and plopped herself down in it, winking at Roger seductively.

"Great, I have a girlfriend that laughs at me," Roger sulked.

"You have to admit, that was pretty hilarious," she laughed as Roger pushed her out through the doors. "Just wait until I tell Mark."

"You wouldn't."

"I _so_ would," Mimi teased.

"You can forget about that shower then."

"Your loss, not mine…" she smiled, reaching back behind her and brushing her hand against his leg.

"MIMI!"

*//

Around 10 AM, Mark had finally decided that it was completely useless to attempt to try and sleep anymore. He started the coffeemaker and slumped back down on the couch, shuffling through some scattered scripts left on the table. He heard a key turn in the door and looked up suddenly to find Lisa shuffling through the door and past him almost as if he was invisible.

"Hey, where were you last night?" Mark questioned, concerned by the way she walked in the loft.

"Downstairs. I fell asleep at Benny's. Sorry," she responded, heading towards her room. 

"Whoa, you okay?" Mark stood up and walked over to her.

"Yes. No…I feel like I have to puke. My back is killing me, I have cramps, I'm fat, and I don't want to be pregnant anymore," she said. "I think I'm just going to lay down for awhile."

"Do you need anything?"

"Just a heating pad for my back and a glass of water. It would be really great if the fucking heat would actual work in this place for once," she snapped. Mark ignored her and went off to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. He returned with it and her vitamins and handed it to her.

"You need to take these," he sighed.

"Did I not just say I felt like I needed to throw up? Sure, I'll just take something that will **surely** make me lose today's breakfast," Rolling her eyes, she passed Mark's room and noticed Jackie asleep inside. "Who the fuck is that?"

"Jesus Lisa, what's with the attitude?" Mark shot back. "That's Jackie, she works with me now. She needed a place to stay for the night so I let her sleep here. Keep it down, okay? She didn't fall asleep until late last night."

"I wonder why," Lisa smirked. Mark shook his head as Lisa's bedroom door closed. Seconds later, Roger entered the loft, his arm wrapped around Mimi's waist.

"Are you sure you can make it?" 

"Roger, I think I'm capable of walking to the couch," she replied. 

"Hey Meems. How do you feel?" Mark greeted her, noting how concerned Roger looked as Mimi took a seat on the couch.

"I feel like normal. Much better, just a little tired," she smiled, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears.

"Yeah, let's just hope we don't have to make any more hospital stops for awhile," Roger added, kissing the top of her head before taking his pills in the kitchen.

"That poor nurse—"

"Don't tell him!" Roger shouted from the sink.

"Don't tell me what?" Mark laughed. "Roger's in a panic, it must be something good."

"It is. He got a hard on right when the nurse brought the wheelchair in for me and she noticed. The look on her face was classic. So was the look on Roger's face," Mimi giggled. Mark stifled a laugh, but stopped when he noticed Roger glaring at them. "Oh, c'mon Rog, you know it's funny."

"Yeah, whatever. 

"Aw, baby…" Mimi stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "How about that shower?" she winked again. Mimi took his hand and led him towards the bathroom.

"Not too loud, you guys. Jackie's trying to sleep in my room." Mark interrupted.

"Jackie…?" Roger asked.

"She's one of my coworkers. She needed a place to stay for the night and no one was home, so I told her she could stay here."

"Coworkers? So that's what you call them now? Mark scored last night," Roger laughed.

"Shut up. Go enjoy your shower," Mark teased.

"Oh I will."

*//

A few hours later, Roger and Mimi were curled up on the couch together, Mimi's head in Roger's lap. They both had two blankets wrapped around them, considering that the temperature in the loft had dropped about ten degrees in the last hour. Mark had gone downstairs to see if he could borrow Maureen's space heater, and Jackie was still asleep in Mark's bed. 

"I seriously the fucking heat is broken," Roger grumped bitterly. "It's freezing in here," he said, pulling Mimi closer to him. 

"I know something we could do to warm us up," she giggled. 

"Let's go then," Roger replied, eagerly sitting up on the couch.

"In a minute. I want to do something first," Mimi added, shifting down towards the phone. "I'm going to call my mom. Give me ten minutes and we'll go, okay?"

"Yeah, do whatever you need to do." 

Mimi stared at the phone before dialing the familiar number she hadn't called in five years. She didn't know why, but she had a strange desire to talk to her mother and let her know she was still alive. After all, her mother made a habit of calling everyone once in awhile and it was Mimi who refused to speak to her. Three rings later, Mimi was contemplating hanging up, but then a voice clicked on the other end of the line.

"Hello?

"Um, Isabel? Is that you? Is Mama there?

"¿Quién es éste? Who is this?" [Who is this?]

"Its Mimi, Is."

"Mierda santa. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" [Holy shit.]

"No, I'm fine. I'm actually doing pretty good," Mimi replied, smiling at Roger, who was transfixed with the TV and didn't notice.

"When are you coming home? Le falto." [I miss you.]

"I miss you too. ¿Puedo hablar con el mama?" [Can I talk to mama?]

"Yeah, she's right here. Hold on." 

"¿Mimi, es que realmente usted? [Mimi, is that really you?]

"Sí, mama."

"¿Dios querido, es usted aceptable? Le falto, amor. ¿Cuándo usted está viniendo a casa? [Dear God, are you okay? I miss you, sweetheart. When are you coming home?]

"No sé. Pronto, prometo. [I don't know. Soon, I promise.]

"Nosotros todos falta usted, sus hermanas y su hermano e i." [We all miss you, your sisters and brother and I.]

"Sé." [I know.]

"¿Usted necesita cualquier cosa? ¿Dinero, alimento? [Do you need anything? Money, food?]

"No, mama. Roger y Mark están tomando el cuidado de mí. Soy aceptable." [No, mama. Roger and Mark are taking care of me. I'm okay.]

"¿Quién tiene Roger y Mark?" [Who are Roger and Mark?]

"Mi novio y su mejor amigo." [My boyfriend and his best friend.]

"Mimi, por favor me dice que usted no esté tomando las drogas más." [Mimi, please tell me you aren't taking drugs anymore.]

"No, mama. Paré. Quisiera que usted supiera algo. [No, mama. I stopped. I want you to know something.]

"¿Qué?" [What?]

"Soy embarazado. Voy a tener un bebé." [I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby.]

"Roger's?"

"Sí—le diré todo cuando le veo." [Yes, I'll tell you everything when I see you.]

"Cuando? Soy feliz para usted." [When? I'm happy for you.]

"Pronto. Cuando me siento mejor. Tengo que ir, mama. [Soon. When I feel better. I have to go, mama.]

"Te amo, Mimi. Nunca paré el amar de usted." [I love you, Mimi. I never stopped loving you.]

"Sé, mama. Te amo también. [I know, mama. I love you too.]

"Déjeme saber cuándo usted está viniendo a casa." [Let me know when you're coming home.]

"Prometo. Adiós." [I promise. Goodbye.]

Mimi hung up the phone and rested her head against Roger's shoulder.

"Everything okay?" he asked, rubbing her arm softly.

"Yeah. I feel a lot better now. You should try calling your mother," she said, kissing him.

"I will. Mark already told me that she called today. Do you want to go lay down? It's probably warmer in there anyway."

"Yeah. I'm tired anyway. I think there's too much excitement going on for me," she laughed. Roger shrugged and picked her up. 

"That's why you have me for," he added, resting her on the bed.

"My knight in shining armor," she said, dramatically fanning herself.

"I don't know about that part, but okay," he agreed, kissing her neck.

"Before we get carried away, I really want you to call your mother. Please?" Mimi asked, giving him a pouty look. Roger groaned and walked back to the living room and picked up the phone.

"Thank you, baby." Mimi curled up under the sheets and watched him from a distance.

"Mom? It's Roger…"

*//


	10. 10

Part 10

*//

"Hello?"

"Mom? It's Roger." He paused and glanced back in Mimi's direction. She was lying on her stomach, eyes shut. Roger figured that he wouldn't get much more privacy then that, but he did try pulling the phone cord as far away as it could go from the table.

"Roger?"

"Yeah Mom. It's me." Roger paused as he heard muffled sobs on the other end of the line. "Don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry." 

"Lindsey, it's…Roger. She wants to talk to you." Roger could hear his mother crying and talking to his older sister at the same time

"Hey rock star. Is your hair still blonde?" Roger smiled. He hadn't spoken to his sister in about three years. He was suddenly thankful that Mimi forced him to make the phone call on a 'no sex until you do' basis.

"Hi Linds. Mom still upset? Maybe I should go then, if you know—"

"Yeah, but I think it's more happy tears than anything else. Are you getting tired of your fabulously rich and famous lifestyle yet? Miss Mom's incredible apple pie?" 

"Yeah, actually I do. I miss all of you."

"Believe me, we all miss you. Even Heather."

"That's surprising, even though I bet you're just saying that." Roger smirked. He and Heather had never gotten along, even when they were adults. 

"You know how she is. Runways to walk, foreign boyfriends to fuck. And I have to hear about all of it." Roger heard his mother shouting about Lindsey's choice phrase. "Sorry mom."

"Ouch. I think I corrupted you too much when we were younger."

"Probably. Okay, Mom's begging to talk to you, and I have to feed the baby anyway, but seriously kiddo, come home, before I beat your ass."

"Yeah, I will. Wait—whose baby?"

"Mine. You really have missed a lot. Her name's Marissa and she just turned two last week. Another reason why you should come home. You have nieces and nephews left and right that you haven't even met."

"No shit. I know I've missed a lot." Roger paused until he heard his mother's voice again.

"Roger?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"You're going to come home soon, right? And you're clean? Drug free? You have a job?" Roger groaned. 

"Yes, yes, yes, and no. No luck with a job, but Mark has one, and we're doing okay." 

"That's good. That's really great to hear." Roger looked up and found Maureen, Mark and a man he assumed to be Chad standing in the kitchen. He turned his back to them and attempted to adjust the heater.

"Mom, I gotta go. Mark and some of our friends just got here with food. I'll come home soon, okay?"

"Okay sweetie. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." Roger clicked the phone on the receiver and walked over to the kitchen, where Mark, Maureen, and Chad were seated around the island on barstools.

"Your mom?" Mark asked, twirling some lo mein around his fork.

"Yeah. She really wants me to come home. I actually don't think it's such a bad idea anymore," Roger joked, pouring some rice onto a nearby plate.

"Oh! Roger, this is the infamous Chad! Marky already met him downstairs," Maureen squealed. Even though he was well dressed, Chad looked laid back in the present setting. 

"Hey man," Roger greeted, shaking his hand.

"Hey."

"How's Mimi?" Mark asked, staring briefly at Jackie's door. It was after one, and he hadn't heard a word from her since last night. He figured that if she weren't up soon, he'd go check on her and see if she wanted anything to eat.

"She's good. Really tired, though. I think she passed out on my bed when I was on the phone," Roger laughed. Sure enough, Mimi was snoring lightly from the bedroom.

"What did the doctors say?" Maureen voiced. 

"She was anemic, and that was the main reason why she passed out. They started her back on AZT and gave her iron pills, along with prenatal vitamins," Roger answered.

"Good luck with those. My sister Becky always threw them up when she was pregnant with Lillian. She had to stop taking them."

"That's real comforting, Mo." Roger rolled his eyes and continued eating his rice. The last thing Mimi needed was to make her temporary home in the bathroom every day. Mark cleared his throat and attempted to change the subject.

"When are you thinking about going to see your Mom? Are you taking Mimi with you?" Mark asked, rolling his eyes at Maureen. Her and Chad were all over each other at the opposite end of the table. Mark didn't even understand why Maureen was even seeing Chad—she had been so caught up with Joanne in the past year that he was almost sure it was for pure revenge and nothing else.

"I don't know. I know she'd really like it if I surprised her, so I was thinking about maybe taking a trip up there tomorrow and coming home Sunday night or Monday morning."

"Are you bringing Mimi?" Mark repeated.

"Probably not. Not this time, at least. I think it would be better if my mom got used to me coming home before I brought Mimi with me. I want to see how everything goes first. I just need to do this on my own." 

"Yeah, I understand what you mean. If you want to go tomorrow, that's fine. Mimi and me will hang out. Get some movies, catch up on a few things," Mark offered.

"Thanks Mark. I just feel really bad about leaving her by herself, especially since she just got out of the hospital today," Roger said.

"I swear I'll call you if there are any problems. Don't worry. Have I ever let you down before?" Mark laughed. Roger shook his head and sighed. Mark had _never_ let him down before. It was always Roger letting Mark down.

"Okay."

They all finished their meal in silence, Roger occasionally thinking about Benny. It hadn't really hit him yet that Mimi had been pregnant before, but he hated that it was because of Benny. Sure, he allowed Benny to take them home from the hospital, but it didn't mean that he had to like the guy. He was a complete prick. No wonder his wife divorced him. Maureen and Chad stood up, breaking Roger's thoughts.

"Okay pookie, we've gotta be going. We're going down to Jersey tonight to visit Chad's parents for dinner. But by the way, you should have heard the noise coming from Benny's place last night. I wonder who he had down there with him. He's even louder than us, baby," Maureen whispered not so quietly in Chad's ear. 

"I don't know. Lisa fell asleep down there last night. Maybe you're hearing things, Mo," Mark laughed.

"Yeah, maybe. Well, tell her I said hi and we'll see you later. Bye guys."

*//

Mark's bedroom door opened shortly after Maureen and Chad left. Jackie somewhat unsteadily stumbled out, clutching her left side.

"Wow, I guess I really did sleep late. What time is it?" she laughed, holding her side harder.

"It's almost 2. It's not a problem though. You must have been really exhausted. This is my roommate Roger. He's the cranky and whiny one," Mark joked. Roger looked up and smiled, but stopped when he noticed how swollen her cheek was. Sure, he had gotten into bar fights before that had resulted in cracked ribs, busted lips, and fractured cheekbones, not to mention black eyes, but to him, it looked about ten times worse on a female.

"Yeah, I was. I didn't mean to stay so long. Those meds must have really knocked me out. Do you mind if I take a shower or anything? I swear, I'll leave right after that," she laughed. "The hot water would feel really great on my bruises right now."

"Go ahead. Just as a heads up, it usually runs out after about ten minutes. We're not kicking you out," Mark smiled.

"Thanks." Jackie turned and entered the bathroom. About a minute later Mark heard the shower being turned on and attempted to talk to Roger again.

"What happened to her? Those are some pretty fucked up injuries," Roger questioned.

"I don't know. I bumped into her last night at the hospital after you went in to see Mimi. She said her boyfriend knocked her around, cracked a few ribs, and bruised her arms and cheekbone. She didn't exactly want to go back right away, so I let her stay her for the night considering it was empty and all.

"That's pretty rough. I wouldn't want to go back either. Seriously, the side of her face looks like she got sideswiped with a Mac truck and not someone's hand," Roger replied. "I'd say some kind of heavy pos."

"POS?" Mark asked, confused.

"Piece of shit. Jesus, get up with the lingo here. No wonder we can't take you anywhere," Roger teased.

"Yeah, I forgot, because _you_ go everywhere." Roger flung an empty Chinese food carton at Mark's head. "Hey!"

"Stuff it, film boy."

*//

Jackie finally left around four, claiming that she needed to fill her prescriptions and come up with an explanation as to why she missed work.  Mark made her promise to call if she ever needed anything.

Roger was sprawled out across the entire couch watching the TV, and Mark was sitting at the kitchen table, suddenly struck with a wave of inspiration that he felt the need to write down. When the phone rang, Roger completely ignored.

"Get the phone," Mark ordered. By that time it was too late, and the answering machine had already started recording.

"I don't give a shit," Roger shrugged. 

"Hey Lisa, it's Danielle. Your mom gave me your brother's number, so I figured I'd call and see how you are and everything. I miss you and I'll talk to you later I guess. You know how to reach me."

"Jesus Christ, what are we, 411? What's with everyone calling and using our place as a hangout lately," Roger grumped. 

"That's enough out of you. Are you going out tonight?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, looks that way. I'm supposed to meet Wes at the bar around ten." Roger drummed his fingers against his leg and flung the remote to the side. "This cable fucking sucks."

"We're poor, what do you expect?" Mark laughed. Roger didn't find it funny and just glared instead. "Are you definitely leaving for your Mom's tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, I just don't know how to break it to Mimi. I need to borrow someone's car to get there, I guess," he said back.

"I'll call Mo and ask her for her car later. Chad takes her everywhere in his car anyway, so I doubt she'll need it this weekend," Mark offered. "You can always take the train too."

"Yeah, I know, but I'd rather drive."

"Whatever you say." Mark shoved the paper he was writing on into a drawer and slammed it shut. Mimi sleepily came out of Roger's bedroom and sat next to Roger.

"Hey babe. Feel better?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry we couldn't finish what we started. How did the conversation with your mom go?" Mimi asked. Roger shrugged and stood up, pulling her with him.

"It was fine. Can I talk to you a sec in our room?" Mimi looked at him and raised an eyebrow, but followed anyway. She shut the door behind her and sat on the bed while he stood in front of closet.

"Okay, shoot," she initiated. Roger sighed and sat next to her.

"I'm leaving tomorrow to see my mom. I'm gonna be in Scarsdale for the weekend, but it's something I need to do by myself, at least the first time. I feel like such an ass for leaving you when you just got out of the hospital," he added.

"Roger, it's fine. I'll be okay. Mark is here, remember?"

"That's exactly what he said to me when I talked to him about it."

"Does she know you're coming?" Mimi asked, stretching out across the bed.

"Not exactly. I figured I'd surprise her and come home sooner then she expects. I know she'd appreciate that. I want to tell her about you and the baby—and everything else. You swear you'll be okay? I won't go if—" Mimi put a finger to his lips and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be _fine_. Okay?" she laughed. Roger nodded and wrapped his arms around her, drawing him closer to her.

"So how about we start what we didn't even begin?"

"I could go for that…"

*//

After spending the night at the bar, Roger arrived home around one AM. He had made Mark promise to wake him at seven the next morning, even though he knew he wouldn't like it. He had enjoyed himself for once—and it had been just like old times when the band was still together. He had told Wes, Travis, and Evan that he would consider rejoining the band, and they had all agreed to jam together the following Friday at Wes' place. For now, Roger had picked up some bartending shifts from Wes' uncle Ray, starting Tuesday night. 

After throwing his leather jacket on the couch and placing his Fender back in its case, he carefully crawled into bed next to Mimi, who was sleeping soundly. Her eyes fluttered open softly when his head hit the pillow.

"You're home." She yawned.

"Yeah, it's late. Go back to sleep," Roger whispered. Mimi nodded and closed her eyes again.

"Wake me before you leave tomorrow. Promise?"

"I promise."

Roger attempted to go to sleep, hoping that there wouldn't be any unexpected incidents tomorrow at his mother's.

__________________


	11. 11

Part Eleven

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone. Love you all as always. ;)

__________________________

"Roger. Roger, get up. Now." Mark stole the pillow off of Roger's head and threw it on the floor. Roger ignored him and pulled the sheets over his head instead. Mark knew this was going to happen. If there was one thing he had found out about Roger Davis in all their years as friends, it was that he hated getting up early. Mark sighed and returned to the kitchen, figuring that if Roger refused to get up, he would resort to drastic measures. He pulled out a handful of ice cubes and wrapped them in a paper towel, taking them back to Roger's room with him.

Mimi was propped up in bed, trying to stifle a giggle. Mark put a finger to his lips and dumped all five of the cubes and ice water all over Roger.

"HOLY SHIT!" Roger yelled out, practically diving off the bed. "Jesus Mark! What the fuck was that for?"

"You were the one that wanted the wake up call. If you want to get out of the city before noon, you better get out of bed," Mark warned before retreating to the kitchen. Mimi nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well I need a shower." He stalked off and slammed the bathroom door. Mimi groaned and followed Mark into the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of coffee and tried to make idle conversation with Mark until Roger reappeared five minutes later, with a 'don't-fuck-with-me" look written all over his face. 

"Roger…" Mimi sighed. She followed him into the bedroom and curled up on the bed while he changed.

"This place is such a fucking shit hole. The water ran out after five minutes today instead of the usual ten."

"I know. Come here," she instructed. "Lay with me." Roger did so, and Mimi rested her head on his chest. "I know this is hard for you."

"I don't think I can do it. I don't know how they'll react. Promise me something?" he questioned, kissing the top of her stomach.

"Anything."

"Promise that you and Mark will come up to Scarsdale if I need you to this weekend?" he asked. Mimi nodded and placed his hand on her stomach again. "_We'll _be there," she emphasized, causing Roger to laugh. 

"Okay. You know I'm really happy about this baby right?" Roger asked. 

"I know."

"And that I really love you, right?"

"You only tell me ten times a day," Mimi teased. Roger checked the alarm clock next to him. It was almost 8, and he knew that he needed to leave soon.

"I gotta go." He picked up his duffel and headed towards the door. Mimi followed, and soon after so did Mark. "Tell him what I told you, okay?" Roger said. Mimi nodded and threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm gonna miss you. I love you," she replied, kissing him a few times.

"I love you both," Roger said, pointing to her stomach. Mark rolled his eyes and laughed. Roger noticed and gave Mark a quick hug.

"Yeah, I love you too," he complained. Mimi wrapped her arm around Mark and rested her head against his shoulder. Roger finally left the loft and jogged down the stairs, stopping again outside of Maureen's apartment. He knocked twice, and finally a half dressed Maureen came to the door, keys in her hand.

"Don't say a word," she threatened, handing the keys to him. "I just better get my Acura back in one piece or I'll shove your Fender so far up your ass—"

"Love you too, sweetheart," Roger winked. Maureen smacked him and slammed the door in his face. 

Roger walked toward the small parking lot to the side of the building where Maureen kept her car. He threw his duffel in the backseat, and took off for Scarsdale before he even thought about turning back.

*//

After fighting his way through the usual morning traffic, Roger finally turned off the Bronx River Parkway about an hour after he set out from the loft. He was surprised he actually remembered the way to Scarsdale, considering that they had remodeled so much of the parkway since he'd left home five years before. He pulled down the familiar street to his mother's and parked on the street, considering that the driveway was crowded for so early in the morning. The only car that stood out to him was a silver BMW convertible, which had to mean only one thing—Heather was home. 

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and slowly walked up the driveway, noticing how much everything still looked the same. Same flowers and the same 'Welcome' mat that was placed in front of the door. He hesitated before ringing the doorbell. The next minute had to be the slowest out of Roger's entire life.

The door creaked open quickly, and Lindsey appeared in front of the glass screen door. She was still in her pajamas, and had a toddler attached to her leg, tugging on her pajama bottoms. Her eyes grew wide and she flung the screen door open.

"Holy fucking shit. You've gotta be fuckin' me," she shouted. "Aw, shit. You didn't hear Mommy say that, Rissa," she added, covering her daughter's ears. Apparently shy, Marissa ran off into the kitchen and hid behind the wall, occasionally peeking at Roger. Lindsey squealed and jumped on top of Roger, hugging him. Roger hugged her back and laughed.

"Jesus, I hope I'm not fucking you," he teased back. Lindsey smacked him playfully and hugged him again. 

"God, I missed you!" she said.

"I missed you too," Roger admitted. "I hope Mom doesn't hear you talking like that," he added.

"Oh please. She heard enough from you when you were growing up." Roger waved at Marissa, who burst into tears. Lindsey sighed and chased after her, Roger following. 

"Marissa, come here. Mommy knows him, it's okay," she soothed, picking her daughter up and bringing her over to Roger. "Say hi to your uncle Roger," she instructed. Marissa stopped crying and just resorted to staring at him. "She's shy, but she'll come around. By the end of the night, she won't leave you alone." Lindsey kissed the top of Marissa's head before setting her down in front of the TV to watch Saturday morning cartoons. 

"Nice BMW outside. Must be nice to have money," Roger joked. Lindsey rolled her eyes and nodded.

"No shit," she whispered, not wanting Marissa to hear her.

"When did she get home?" Roger asked, referring to Heather.

"Really early this morning. She looks like hell and could use a few meals. She's so thin now it's disturbing," Lindsey frowned. "She brought Pedro with her," she added.

"I really hope his name isn't Pedro," Roger laughed.

"It's not. It's Miguel. Whatever." Roger looked around the living room, keeping an eye out for his mom.

"Where are mom and dad at?"

"Mom's at the store, and dad's out golfing with Uncle Ted. Mom should be back really soon, but dad, well who knows." Lindsey looked at Roger and ruffled his hair. "Are you hungry? I'm sure I could make you something," she insisted. Roger shrugged and knocked her hand away.

"Coffee's okay for me," Roger answered her. "The last time you tried to make me French toast you left the eggshells in them." Lindsey poured him a cup of coffee and set it on the table, where he sat down.

"That was not intentional. I was twelve years old then, you idiot," she joked.

"Not even home ten minutes and already you start insulting me. I'm hurt, I really am," he added, clutching his heart. Marissa entered the kitchen again and ran over to Roger, arms outstretched.

"Up, up!" she shouted. Roger complied and picked her up and placing her on his lap. She started contently playing with the zipper on Roger's jacket.

"I told you she'd come around," Lindsey smiled. It was so cute to see Roger around kids. She always knew that he would eventually be a great father.

"You've got some explaining to do," he said, pointing to Marissa.

"I know."

"Do I know the father?" Roger asked.

"You could say that." Lindsey pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on them. "Robbie Stewart. We were supposed to get married and everything, but he dropped me for someone else. Nine months later Marissa came along, and I haven't seen him since. He pays child support every month, but he doesn't want anything to do with us."

"I'm sorry, Linds." Lindsey shrugged and pulled her straight brown hair into a ponytail. "I was just about to put Marissa down for a nap when you walked in. She woke up when Heather came home and wouldn't leave her alone for anything." She stood up and picked up Marissa from Roger's lap. "I'll be right back." 

About a minute later, Roger heard the front door open again and his mother's voice calling to his sister. 

"Linds honey, where are you?" Sandra Davis entered the kitchen to find her youngest son sitting at the table. "Roger? Oh my god." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed the top of his head as Lindsey appeared back in the doorway.

"Yeah Mom, it's me. I wanted to surprise you," Roger laughed, trying to pry himself out of his mother's death grip.

"Oh sweetie, I missed you so much! Jesus," she whispered, still latched on to Roger. "Why didn't Mark come with you?"

"I missed you too Mom, and Mark might stop by later this weekend. He's gotta work on Monday," Roger answered. 

"Do you want anything to eat? You must be starving," Sandra laughed, putting groceries away in the refrigerator. 

"No Mom, I'm okay." Roger's watch started beeping at that moment, and he shut it off quickly. "Can I just get some water to take my pills? I have an, uh, cold," he stuttered. Sandra raised an eyebrow but gave him the water and Roger took his pills. "Are you sure you're not hungry?"

"Yeah." An awkward silence progressed after that, and Roger didn't know what to say. Lindsey noticed and cleared her throat.

"So, um, you can have your old room back. Heather and Miguel were gonna take it, but I made them sleep downstairs in the basement," Lindsey said, taking Roger's jacket from him.

"Okay." Roger was about to follow Lindsey out of the kitchen when Sandra hugged him again.

"I'm glad your home. Really. Don't worry about your father, either. Okay?" Sandra said. Roger nodded and sighed.

"I won't."

"Now go and take a nap. You look exhausted." 

*//

Roger threw his duffel onto the floor before falling facedown onto his old bed. It still squeaked in all the wrong places, which Roger remembered to be a huge problem every time he tried to bring a girl home. Without even giving it a second thought, he picked up his phone and dialed the loft's familiar number. After three rings, Mimi picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby."

"Did you just get to your Mom's?" 

"Yeah, about a half an hour ago. The traffic wasn't too bad. How do you feel?"

"Like shit, but it comes with being pregnant I guess. I threw up four times already. You should have seen Mark, he looked like a dear caught in headlights," she laughed. Roger sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hated that he left Mimi behind.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too. When are you coming home?"

"I don't know yet." Roger didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Roger, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Liar. Do you need me to come?"

"No." 

"Fine."

"I didn't mean it like that. I just need to do this on my own."

"I'll talk to you later then."

"I love you?"

"Bye."

*//

Roger hung up with Mimi not long after. Great, so he probably pissed off the person that meant the most to him in the world. Twenty minutes later, he was about to fall asleep when Lindsey knocked on his door and poked her head in. She had changed out of her pajamas and looked wide-awake.

"Can I come in?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe. Roger shrugged and she entered, lying down on the bed next to Roger.

"Where's mom?"

"She took Marissa next door to get a recipe from Mrs. Barrett. I guess she figured you needed your space," Lindsey answered, eyeing the posters on Roger's wall.

"I don't."

"Who were you on the phone with?"

"My girlfriend."

"April?" Roger rolled over and glared at her. 

"No. Not April. April's dead. You think that my own family could realize that and stop fucking asking me about her." Lindsey sat up and jumped off the bed and started walking around the room.

"Maybe if you would have fucking come home once in awhile, we would have known," Lindsey spat back.

"Don't even try to turn this around on me. Dad kicked me out of the house, or don't you remember?" Roger argued. He was now sitting up on his bed, playing with the window shade.

"I remember. How can I not remember? Oh yeah, and then there were the phone calls from Mark, telling us he was so worried about you. From the hospital, telling us that you almost overdosed on heroin. I'm sorry I didn't know about April, okay? You shut us all completely out of your life to live a fucking better one in the city. You never came home. Not once. The only person you gave a shit about was yourself." Lindsey sat down again on dresser.

"Bullshit."

"Yeah, it is bullshit. Jesus, look at us. We never used to argue." Roger sighed and threw a pillow over his face.

"I know." Roger flipped over and faced the wall, hoping that by doing so his sister would take the hint and leave. She didn't. Roger remembered that the one thing that used to piss him off about his sister the most was the fact that she refused to back down and walk away from her problems. He was always running. Running away from Mark, Mimi, even himself sometimes. 

"Well…I'm gonna go and see if Marissa's back yet." Lindsey turned to leave. "I'm glad that you're home."

"Me too." Roger added before she shut the door. About a minute later, he reached for the phone and dialed the loft number again. This time, Lisa's voice came over the line.

"Hello?"

"Lisa is Mark there?"

"Yep."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Whatever." Roger sighed impatiently. Lisa was really grating on his nerves lately. 

"Hey, didn't you just call? Is something wrong?"

"Can you and Mimi come?"

*//

NEXT UP: Roger runs in to someone from his past, Mark and Mimi arrive, and…the Davis family dinner. 


	12. 12

Chapter 12

________________________

A/N: Before I get started, I'd just like to emphasize that the Spanish in Chapter 9 was translated due to an online translator as posted in the author's note. I'm not fluent in Spanish, and I purposely staged the conversation between Mimi and her mother for authenticity purposes. I know it's not 100% correct, but that was the best I could do. 

All right, now I know I said Mark and Mimi would be coming to Scarsdale in this chapter, **but **I decided to have them stick around the city instead. Yeah, I know, I can't make up my mind. ;)

I'd just like to give a huge shoutout to all my lovely reviewers that have stuck with me this long right now. I've been writing this story for almost two months already! I never actually intended it to be as long as I'm planning it to be now. Your reviews have meant so much to me, so if you're reading my story and are afraid to leave a comment, don't be! I love all comments, and constructive criticism is always appreciated. Here goes in no particular order:

Markys gurl, Kelby, Mlle. Kat, DevDev, Becca Black, Luna Corrona, Sunny Monster, Angel Of The First Degree, Emily, Eponine54, H2OAngel, RavenNat, Buffy, and crystal.

Thank you all once again. ;) If it wasn't for your reviews, I don't think I'd be as motivated as I am to keep writing.

Love, Mari

________________________

Mark sighed. How was he supposed to tell his supposed best friend that 'No, Roger, we aren't coming to Scarsdale because this is something you need to do on your own?' Exactly.

"Mark? You still there?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

"So can you?"

"Well, I don't think that would be the best idea," Mark managed to say, holding his breath at Roger's response.

"What the fuck do you mean? Fine, then put Mimi on the phone. Mimi said she'd come…" Mark was surprised, seeing as Roger almost sounded desperate. 

"You've been at your mom's for not even three hours yet. Give it some time. Talk to her. You need to tell her you're sick soon, Roger. Don't bring Mimi up there until **you**get used to the idea of being home."

"Mark. I want you guys here."

"Roger, I know you do, but you need to take this weekend to get readjusted to your family again. It's probably not as bad as you think, you know. I bet Lindsey's really happy to see you again," Mark added.

"Yeah, she is. Can you tell Mimi I love her?"

"Why don't you tell her yourself? She's lying right next to me. I'll see you Monday," Mark said, emphasizing the word Monday.

"Yeah, okay. Monday then. Put Mimi on?" Mark laughed and handed the phone to Mimi, who was sprawled out on the couch watching Jerry Springer. Mark shook his head and changed the channel. 'That's quality television for you,' he thought to himself before propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"Hey," Mimi spoke into the phone. "What's wrong? Separation anxiety?" she teased.

"Something like that. I love you."

"I love you too. I'm serious Roger, have a good time and I'll see you Monday. _Monday_," she said.

"Okay, okay. You and Mark need to stop hanging out so much."

"Aww, but I love Mark! Not as much as I love you though," she laughed. "Okay, I'm gonna go. I think that's Collins at the door. Love you," she said before hanging up the phone. Mimi and Mark both looked at each other as a knock at the door sounded again.

"I'll get it!" they both shouted out. Mark took off for the door, only to have Mimi jump on his back and wrap her legs around his waist. 

"God Mimi, what have you been eating?" Mark joked.

"Hey shut up. Pregnant women are very sensitive you know," she laughed, playfully smacking his arm. "Door! Get the door!"

Mark flung the door open while trying to hold Mimi on his back at the same time. Collins was holding a bag full of groceries and a tray with three cups of coffee. He walked in and set the bags down on the kitchen counter, all the time shaking his head at Mark and Mimi.

"You guys are weird," he laughed. Mimi crawled off of Mark's back and ran over to the coffee. She lifted the lid and inhaled.

"Mmm, a cinnamon latte. Do you know how long it's been since I've had one of those?" she said, taking a sip. Mark shook his head and started unpacking the groceries.

"Thanks for picking these up for me, Collins. We really don't know what we'd do without you," Mark added.

"It's not a problem, but a Collins Appreciation Day would be really nice," he joked. "Okay, well I've got a class at two, so I better run. Dan says hi, and he really wants to meet both of you, so stop by later if you can." Mark nodded and turned back to Mimi after Collins left, who was curled up on the couch drinking her coffee. Mark started unpacking the groceries and scattering them in the various cabinets that were rarely used. He pulled out a package of spaghetti noodles and shook his head. He _could_ attempt to make an actual dinner for once, realizing that he had been relying on the Life Café more than usual lately.

"Hey, we have spaghetti?" Mimi asked, still holding her coffee in one hand and pointing at the package of noodles in Mark's hand. 

"What? Oh…yeah," he answered, shoving them into a cabinet. Mimi took a seat on a barstool and started watching him put away the rest of the groceries. Soda, beer, cereal, milk… 

"Earth to Mimi," Mark joked. 

"Huh? Sorry. Must have blanked out for a minute," she shrugged.

"You're feeling okay, right? I mean, you took all your pills this morning? AZT, iron, and prenatal?"

"Yeah mom, I did," she joked. "I was just thinking, I guess. Can I ask you something?"

"Yep, anything you want," Mark answered, pouring himself some cereal.

"Do you think I've changed at all, since well, you first met me?"

"Well, do you think have?" Mark asked, now adding milk to his cereal.

"Yeah. The things that really used to matter to me aren't that important anymore, like my job at the Cat Scratch Club, partying, drinking, drugs, and well, sex too. I mean, me and Roger have great sex—"

"I would hope so, since you both keep me up half the night," Mark laughed. Mimi blushed as she took another sip of her latte.

"…But I just feel like I mellowed out a lot. I have a great boyfriend who I love most of the time," she laughed. 

"That's true. You guys haven't been fighting lately," Mark said through a mouthful of cereal.

"Ahh stop interrupting!" she giggled. "Like I was saying, now I'm going to be a mom. Me, a mom? That's a scary thought. I never used to want kids, and when I first found out I was pregnant it didn't really hit me yet, but now I think it finally has. Now there's just a lot to think about. I need to literally go out and start buying baby clothes, and bottles, and diapers, and all that corporate crap. I need a crib and a nursery theme. I need to find an obstetrician that I like, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to pay for everything. I haven't shown up at my job for weeks now, and I hate relying on Roger all the time. I don't think that's really fair to him, you know? I don't want him to think that he can't have fun, or go out with the guys, or play his guitar because he has to worry about me all the time."

"Mimi, do you realize how happy Roger is about the baby? I know he's more than happy to provide for you and whoever else comes along. You're not a hassle or a problem. He loves you. As for the money, I have an actual job now, and Roger has bartending, and Collins is always willing to help. There's Maureen and Joanne too. You're not alone, you know that right?" Mark said. Mimi nodded. 

"Do you think we did the right thing by not going to Scarsdale?"

"Definitely. Roger's gotta do this on his own, and he knows that," Mark said.

"Yeah, I know." Mimi pulled at her pants a little, then stood up and pulled at them some more. Mark just watched her curiously and continued eating his cereal. "I think I've officially graduated to Roger's boxers and sweatpants. God, when did these things get so tight? I swear they fit last week," she complained, pulling at her waist and adjusting her tight jeans some more.

"We could go out later, if you're feeling up to it, and buy pants that'll fit you for awhile? Cindy used to buy those dancer's workout pants, you know the stretchy kind, when she was pregnant with Rachel. She swore by them. She loved sweatpants too, because she could wear them anytime, even when she wasn't pregnant," Mark suggested. Mimi smiled and nodded.

"Okay. Just let me know when you want to go. I still have my paycheck from last month that I haven't spent yet. I could probably get a few things for the baby too." Mark noticed how Mimi's eyes lit up every time she mentioned Roger or the baby.

That kid was definitely going to be loved.

*//

"I think we made out okay, considering we're about 200 dollars lighter," Mimi joked, dropping her three shopping bags on the couch before sitting down and propping her feet up on the coffee table.

"Yeah, we did. I feel kind of bad for that poor cashier. You sure gave her hell when she wouldn't give you 25% off the baby blanket set," Mark laughed. 

"Hey, a discount's a discount. You don't mess with Mimi Marquez when it comes to shopping," she winked.

It was close to 4:30 when Mark and Mimi returned to the loft. After finding Lisa sound asleep in her room, they headed downtown to Macy's and a few other stores that Mimi swore by. Mimi ended up with five different types of sweatpants and stretch pants and a few shirts that Mark insisted on, considering he was tired of seeing her and Roger share clothes all the time. She spent over an hour in the baby department, finally settling on a few packs of unisex onesies.  Mark even made out with new clothes for work and a pair of shoes.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Are you kidding?! I had a great time. I want to _live_ in the baby department. Next time I have to drag Roger along with me," she laughed. "I don't think he'd know what to do with himself." Mark walked over to kitchen and noticed a note stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. Mark scanned it a few times before finally realizing that it was from Lisa.

Mark, Mimi, and Roger— 

_I don't know who's gonna read this first, but I'm staying with my friend Danielle for a while in Jersey. I guess I don't feel like I belong with you all, and I don't want to impose anymore than I already have. Mark, apparently I'm still kicked out of the house, even though when they showed up at the loft that day I thought everything was okay. I guess not. I'll be back soon, I promise, but I just need to get away for a little while to think some things through._

_Love,_

_Lisa_

"Lisa left," Mark shouted over to Mimi.

"What do you mean?" she asked, hauling the shopping bag to her and Roger's room.

"She left a note and said she needed to stay with her friend Danielle for awhile to clear her head. I don't know, something doesn't seem right about it. Why would she leave without saying goodbye or anything? That's not like her at all," Mark answered.

"I don't know. Maybe she just needed her space. Don't worry that much. I'm sure she'll be back soon enough. Did she leave a number?"

"Yeah, at the bottom. Maybe I should call?" he questioned.

"I wouldn't. Let her stay there for a few days. Give her the space she wants, and just call to check up on her," Mimi suggested. 

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

*//

"Roger."

"Mmph?" Roger's head shot up from underneath the pillow. He blinked and noticed his mother standing at the foot of his bed, a smile on her face. "What time is it?"

"Almost 7:30," Sandra answered. Shit, it was almost 7:30? He had missed two doses of AZT. 

"Shit, did I miss dinner?" he asked. 

"Yeah sweetie. I told your sister not to wake you, because you looked exhausted when you first got here. I saved you a plate though. I can heat it up for you, if you want.  
  


"Thanks mom," Roger answered, digging around in his jacket for his pills. He would have to wait until his mom left before pulling them out.

"Something interesting came in the mail today," she laughed.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" he shrugged. Sandra pulled out an ultrasound picture and handed it to him. Roger laughed when he noticed what it was.

"Yeah, I mailed this to you," he added. "I forgot about it."

"I see. So does this mean what I think it means?" she said. Roger looked at her in apprehension. She couldn't possibly be mad, could she?

"Well, yeah. I'm—well, my girlfriend and I, we're having a baby," he added. "I didn't know how to tell you, so I sent the picture. You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad? Sweetheart why would I be mad? This is wonderful! I'm going to be a grandma for the fourth time," she laughed, hugging Roger. "You haven't told me much about her. How far along is she? When is she due? Do you know if it's a boy or girl? Do you want a boy or girl?"

Roger shook his head and laughed.

"Okay mom, calm down. Her name's Mimi, and I've been with her for about a year and three months. She's two months pregnant, due sometime around the end of September, I think. We won't know if it's a boy or a girl until April, and I don't care what it is as long as it's healthy," he answered.

"Aww honey. I'm so excited! You should have brought her with you! I can't wait to tell the rest of the family!" she squealed.

"Yeah. Well, um, I better take a shower, so I'll see you later mom?"

"Sure thing. Just let me know if you need anything," Sandra turned for the door. "And Roger?"

"Uh huh?"

"I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks mom. I'm really happy too."

*//

"Okay Meems, what's on the menu tonight? Life Café or a sad attempt at spaghetti?'

"Spaghetti. I don't think I can stomach the Life tonight," she answered from the bathroom. She had just finished taking a shower and was already sporting a pair of her sweatpants and a faded black tee with 'The Pyramid Club' written on it. 

"Okay." Mark glanced at the package of noodles hesitantly. 

"Boil, cook, drain, eat," Mimi laughed, setting the pot of water on the stove. "It's not really that hard. Spaghetti's just about the easiest thing you can't screw up." She took the sauce and poured it into a smaller pot and set it next to the other pot. "Okay, give it about five minutes to boil, then add the noodles. I'll call Collins and Dan and see if they want to come up for dinner." Mimi headed towards the phone when she noticed someone knocking at the door. 

"I'll get it!" she shouted over. Mark was still struggling with the noodles and Mimi breathlessly flung open the door. 

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi, um, I'm Jackie. I work with Mark at SFP. I was just wondering if I left my earrings here, maybe in the bathroom?" she said before stepping in. Mimi tried to stifle a giggle and decided she would play with Mark's head for a bit. 

"Let me go get him for you," she added. Mark was now stirring in the noodles and watching them productively. She cleared her throat and smiled sweetly, remembering something about Roger saying how Mark had "scored" with Jackie the other night.

"Hey Mark, Jackie's here for you. That's the one that Roger was talking about, right? The one who you said was really cute? Didn't you say you wanted to get to know her better and eventually ask her out?" Mimi said loudly. Mark froze and dropped the wooden spoon into the pot and turned around, bright red. He ran out of the kitchen and found Jackie standing near the couch, laughing.

"Hi Mark," she said.

"Hey…Jackie."

"Well, I was out getting my prescription filled for my painkillers, and I couldn't find my earrings, so I figured that I might have left them in the bathroom when I took a shower here the other day," she said, just as red as Mark was.

"Yeah—o-okay, let me go check for you," he said.

"Thanks." Jackie tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Mark returned with a pair of silver hoops in his hand and gave them to her.

"They were in the soap dish over the sink," he added.

"I have a really bad habit of leaving them there at my place. Thanks again for letting me stay here that night. I really appreciate that. Okay, well I better get going because I have a rehearsal at 8, but I'll see you Monday?"

"Yeah, I'll see you on Monday," he replied nervously. Mimi elbowed him in the ribs and motioned the word 'dinner', followed by some drastic hand movements. "Oh, hey, would you like to stay for dinner? It's only about 5 right now," he added. She turned and shrugged.

"Dinner would be great," she smiled. Mimi smiled as well, glad that her matchmaking skills had paid off.

"Collins? Hey, it's me. Do you and Dan want to stop by for dinner?"

______________

A/N: Okay guys, I'll be gone for ten days, but I'll have two new chapters ready to be posted. Take care everyone. 33

NEXT UP: What's up with Lisa leaving, and will Maureen and Joanne ever make up?


	13. 13

One Week—13

*//

A/N: Okay guys, here goes the next chapter as promised. I just got home yesterday after having this urge to write all friggen week and you have no idea how good it feels to be able to sit down, open Word, and write. Enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews.

____________________________

MONDAY MORNING

"Packing?"

Roger looked up to find Lindsay posed by the door, a mug of coffee in her hand.

"Yeah. I gotta head back. Mark's probably unable to function by himself," Roger teased. Lindsay laughed and took a sip of her coffee.

"You gotta give him more credit than that."

"I do. You don't know how much credit I give him," Roger said, getting slightly defensive. Lindsay shook her head and sighed.

"You forgot these," she added, tossing him something. Roger looked down and noticed they were his AZT pills. Not knowing what to say, he pocketed them and continued packing. "How long?"

"Lindsay…" Roger knew he was going to get the full force, Lindsay Davis temper tantrum.

"I asked how long. It's not a complicated question," she said, staring out the window.

"I've had it since April died. We got it from—"

"I know how you got it. I'm not fucking stupid, you know," she spat back at him.

"I didn't say you were!" Roger replied, his voice rising. "It's not your business anyway." Lindsay turned to leave, but Roger grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Look, let me just let this sink in okay? It's hard, and I'm sorry I'm acting this way. I need to deal with this, then we'll talk, just please? We'll talk later. _Not now._" 

The timer on Roger's watch started beeping.

_____________________________________________________

TWO WEEKS LATER: FEBRUARY 22

Valentine's Day came and went. Roger had never celebrated it before, partly because April was too high to notice and Mimi didn't care for it. He'd been so busy between bartending and band practice that he was starting to get the feeling that Mimi and Mark were starting to resent him for it. 

Mark had been getting into the swing of things at SFP with Jackie, and the two of them had just gotten back from a three-day film convention in Richmond yesterday morning. Considering it was Friday, and Mark didn't have to work until the following Monday, he was pretty content with lounging around the loft. Lisa was still MIA, and Mark had only spoken to her once since she left, a conversation that revolved mostly around the words "I'm fine". He knew better than to believe her.

Joanne had left for Boston the day after Roger came back from Scarsdale, and Maureen had refused to see her off at the airport. Joanne promised to visit as much as she could, but everyone highly doubted she'd be coming back for a long time.

Maureen had spent the last two weeks auditioning around town for bit parts in Broadway plays, but hadn't gotten any callbacks. Instead, she and Chad spent most of their time either having sex or out at some club in Manhattan.

Benny had kept his one night stand with Lisa completely to himself, and since the gang was still treating him as shitty as before, he figured they had no idea anything had happened. 

Mimi was now eleven weeks pregnant, and other than driving Roger and Mark crazy with her mood swings, she was enthusiastically planning out exactly how she wanted the nursery to look, scaring Mark and frustrating Roger, considering he was constantly having to bring home paint samples from the local hardware store.

"What about just…white? You really can't go wrong with white," Roger pointed out, handing her another sample card. She picked it up and glared at him.

"You're kidding, right? I don't—"

"Okay! How about we get off the topic of paint samples for awhile and just enjoy the fact that it's Friday and we have nothing to do?" Mark suggested brightly.

"Sorry pal. I have to take Mimi to the doctor and then it's off to the bar for me tonight," Roger interrupted.

"Oh, well, okay," Mark answered back.

"Don't you have a date or something? With Jackie?"

"Aren't you too old to listen in on my phone conversations—and yeah I do," Mark laughed. 

"Just because you know that I do now won't stop me from listening," Roger teased. The doorbell rang and since Roger had disappeared and Mimi was in the kitchen, Mark moved to get it. Maureen walked in and sat herself down without saying one word to Mark.

"Uh, hello?" Mark laughed. Mimi took her jacket from Roger.

"We're leaving," Roger said, shutting the door behind himself and Mimi.

"I'm moving to California," Maureen blurted out. Mark stared at her and laughed.

"Right Mo," he said, scanning _The New York Times_. When Maureen didn't respond, Mark put down the paper and looked at her. "Explain."

"Chad got a great offer to head off another advertising agency in Los Angeles. He wants me to go with him. If I do, I have to be packed and ready to go by the 1st of March," she said quickly.

"You've been seeing this guy for what, two months, and you're ready to pick up and leave town with him?" Mark questioned. 

"Three months."

"You really can't be serious about this. Who else have you told?" Mark asked.

"Just you. I was thinking about having everyone else over tonight at my place to tell them," she added.

"So you're going?"

"Looks that way. I mean, I could really get my big break there. Chad's got connections. Don't look at me like that Mark. It's only 3000 miles. I'll be back for the holidays, and when Mimi and Lisa have their babies. I'm only a phone call away," she said, noticing that Mark didn't seem too thrilled with her right now.

"Okay, so first you come here, thinking that you want to go, and two minutes later it's all decided that you're going?" Mark said.

"Marky, don't sound so disappointed," Maureen joked.

"What about Joanne?"

"What about her? We're over!" Maureen huffed.

"Fine. Go. Have a great fucking time." With that said, Mark went to his room and slammed the door, leaving Maureen alone in the loft.

_______________________________

"Tendu, Arabesque—good, and brush, pique—Harvey you're not getting enough extension when you lift Jackie! Again!"

Jackie groaned, running her hand up the side of her leotard. Exactly what she wanted to be doing, rehearsing for some popular ballet with hope that she'd actually get a lead role this time instead of being stuck in the corps. 

"I came all the way from Australia for this, right?" she griped to Harvey.

"Hey, it's not that bad," he laughed. He let Jackie perform her three pirouettes before lifting her with ease.

"Excellent. Okay everyone—that's a wrap for today. I'll see you all Sunday at noon where I'll have the roles for this years production of _Romeo and Juliet_ posted."

Jackie grabbed her bag and exited the studio, following the crowd of girls headed towards the changing rooms.

"Jac! Hey!"

"Hey!" Jackie reached over to give 23 year old, Natalie Murphy a hug. "I didn't know you had rehearsal tonight," she added, slipping off her pointe shoes and dropping them in her dance bag.

"Yeah. They're running some kind of homage to the 80s for the spring production. Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Boy George—We had our first costume fitting today. Electric blue toe shoes," Natalie laughed.

"At least you're not dancing Romeo and Juliet," Jackie complained.

"I heard about that. You've danced it before, right?"

"Yeah, but I was only in the corps then. I wasn't a principle dancer," Jackie said, pulling her hair into low ponytail.

"At least you'll be familiar with the music. You'll get Juliet anyway. You're the best for the part—Bertrand knows that and she'll cast you for it," Natalie said.

Jackie shrugged. "She favors Alicia Michaels."

"So what? Have you see Alicia lately? She looks like a cow in tights. There's no way she'll put her in front of packed audiences every night," Natalie whispered. "You're gonna get it."

"If I do, I'm gonna have to quit my job at SFP. I can't dance full time and produce films too." Jackie pulled her jacket on over her leotard and sweatpants. "…Especially with rehearsal twice a day three times a week leading up to the show."

"So what? If you get Juliet, you'll finally be the principle dancer that they want. Your real job will be with the New York City Ballet." Natalie slipped her bag across her shoulder. "You want to get a drink or something?"

"I would, but I'm already meeting someone," Jackie apologized.

"Ooh, Jac's got a date!" Natalie teased. "Anyone I know?"

"It's not a date, and it's just Mark, the guy I work with."

"That's always how it starts. "It's just so and so." Uh huh, sure, keep telling yourself that. It's a date and you know it. If it wasn't, you wouldn't bother to fix your makeup right now," she laughed.

"Why do you have to be right all the time?" Jackie said, rolling her eyes. "Don't answer that. I'm out of here," she added, waving before she headed out of the door and down to the subway. She had just stepped onto the train and didn't even get a chance to sit down before someone grabbed her shoulder and jerked her back.

"Hey baby." Jackie squirmed out of his grip and pushed him away.

"Get off, Josh," she spat. The train had already started to move, and the other people in the car didn't exactly look too helpful. Two of them were sleeping and the other three we on their cell phones.

"Now, is that anyway to talk to me? You know I'm really sorry about the other night. Did you get my flowers?" he asked, pulling her towards the back of the train.

"Yeah, and they were inappropriate. I don't give a fuck about you or if you're sorry. Stop following me," she whispered loudly. The train pulled into the next top and a crowd of people thundered on to it. Jackie looked over and noticed one familiar face in the crowd. Roger. It had to be close to 9, which meant he was probably going to work at the bar. 

"Can you let go of me? You've already sent me to the hospital more times than I like," Jackie muttered sarcastically. Josh sharply tugged on her shoulder, which caused her to shout in pain.

"You're such a bitch, you know that?" Josh shouted at her. Sure enough, a few people in the crowd started looking up, including Roger. When he noticed it was Jackie, he pushed through the crowd and walked over to them.

"Got a problem asshole?" Roger asked. 

"What's it to you?" Josh argued back. Jackie pulled her arm out of Josh's grip and rubbed it.

"Do you want one?" 

"Whatever." Josh quickly walked away to another section of the train, leaving Jackie and Roger alone.

"Thanks…"Jackie said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"No problem. You know him?"

"Unfortunately yeah. Old flame, I guess," she answered. Roger nodded and took a seat next to her. 

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really, but thanks. Did you and Mimi decide on a paint color for the nursery yet?" she asked, trying to draw the attention away from herself and change the subject.

"Not really. I got so fed up I said white. She looked like she wanted to kill me for suggesting it. We're gonna wait until we find out what the baby is before we make any big decisions like that," Roger laughed.

"You, Mark, Mimi, and the baby in one apartment. That should be interesting," Jackie teased.

"Everyone thinks this baby is gonna be born with it's head screwed on backwards. They already think my parenting skills suck," he mock pouted.

"Aww, I'm sure they don't. You working at the bar tonight?" 

"Yeah, until closing. You're hanging out with Mark, right?" Roger asked. Jackie blushed a bit and nodded.

"Yeah. We're probably gonna go for coffee or something."

"That's always how it starts. Coffee or something. Then it's, oh honey, let's have sex or something," Roger joked. Jackie laughed and stood up from her seat.

"Well, this is my stop," she said, still laughing.

"Want me to walk you to the loft? I can be a few minutes late," Roger suggested.

"No, I'll be fine," she said, smiling as she stepped off the train.

"Hey Jackie?" Roger shouted over the roar of the crowd.

"Yeah?" she answered, turning around.

"He really likes you. I mean, just the way he talks about you. I don't think I've ever seen him like that in a long time. Not since Maureen at least, and we all know how that ended. So just uh, don't hurt him?"

"Don't worry, I won't. I like him too," she laughed, waving to Roger before she ran up the subway stairs.

______________________________________

"Oh god, I think we've had enough to drink," Jackie laughed, poking at her vodka shot that was in front of her. 

"Yeah, we should probably get going? It's what…I think 1 AM," he slurred, trying to make out the numbers on his watch.

"We are so lucky we don't have work tomorrow. Thank god for Saturday," she giggled, standing up from the table. Mark followed, stumbling a bit as they walked out of the door.

"I'm gonna pay for this tomorrow. Your place or mine?" she asked, squinting at the street signs. 

"Mine's closer," he said, linking his hand through hers.

"Yeah—yeah, okay?" she said, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder.

Half an hour later, Mark pulled the key out of his pocket and opening the loft door, pushing Jackie in before him. She flopped down on the couch and rested her hand on her head.

"You wouldn't have any Tylenol would you?" she asked. Mark nodded, stumbling over his own feet before returning with a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water.

"Here," he said. 

"Thanks," she added, taking the pills. Mark sat next to her and for the next few minutes, the pair just stared at each other before Mark leaned in and kissed her. Before either one of them knew it, it had progressed into a hot and heavy "Roger-and-Mimi-esque" makeout session. Mark practically had Jackie's shirt off and Jackie had her hand halfway down his pants before either one of them decided to move into his bedroom.

"You're sure about this, right?" Mark asked, breathlessly stopping outside of his bedroom door.

"Yeah, are you?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Mark took Jackie's shirt off and stumbled into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.

___________________________________________

Mark woke up the next morning to find Jackie sleeping peacefully, her head resting on his chest and her arm wrapped around his waist. Mark looked over at his alarm clock and when he realized it was only 8 AM, he carefully moved out of her grasp, stood up and retrieved the Tylenol from the coffee table where he left it last night. He found Roger sitting at the counter, trying to hide his smile behind yesterday's paper.

"Must have been a good night," he laughed from the counter.

"Shut up," Mark said, collecting the Tylenol and rubbing his head.

"Ooh touchy. Considering you're too hung over to notice you only have a sheet wrapped around yourself, I'd say it was a very good night," Roger continued. Mark glared at him.

"Yeah, it was a really great night, okay? Why are you up so early? What time did you get in last night? Did we wake you up?" Mark yawned, downing the pills with Jackie's leftover glass of water.

"Okay Mom, I'm up early because I can't sleep. I got in around 2 last night, and yeah, you did wake me up. Trying to compete with me and Mimi huh?" he laughed.

"Enough. I'm going back to bed," Mark grumped before slamming the door in Roger's face. He pulled on a pair of boxers before lying back in bed. Jackie stirred and opened her eyes. 

"Good morning," she mumbled, trying to sit up. "Oh shit," she added, resting a hand to her head. "God that hurts."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. We drank too much last night," he laughed, handing her two Tylenol pills and a glass of water.

"Did we, you know…?"

"According to Roger, yeah," Mark blushed.

"That loud huh?" she joked. Mark nodded as she reached over and pulled on a sweatshirt of his.

"You don't regret it, do you?" he asked hesitantly. The last thing he needed was for her to pull a Maureen on him.

"Of course not," she laughed, kissing him. "Ow." She lazily rested her head on Mark's shoulder. "What time is it?"

"Around 8."

"Come on," she said, pulling Mark up with her. She put on her sweatpants again and threw Mark his shirt before opening the bedroom door. Roger was still sitting at the counter, now shoveling cereal into his mouth.

"Why?" Mark whined. He rested his arm around her waist and the both walked sleepily into the kitchen.

"We both need coffee," she said.

"I'll get it." Jackie nodded and took a seat next to Roger on the barstool and stole the paper from him.

"Hey! I was looking at that!" Roger joked.

"Yeah, okay. More like absorbing it." She scanned the headlines before handing it back to him. Mark came and sat down, placing a mug of coffee in front of her before drinking his own.

"Get pretty smashed last night?" Mimi asked, coming out of the bedroom. She walked over to Roger and sat on his lap, curling up against him.

"Not you too. Roger already started with me," Mark laughed, massaging his head.

"Guess my advice really worked, huh Jackie? Oh honey, let's have sex or something!"

___________________


	14. 14

One Week—14

_________________

"Static Film Productions, this is Jacqueline. Uh huh, I sent out the package FedEx this morning. No, you'll get it Wednesday. Mr. Richards, you told me you wanted it via two-day air. No, I'm not going to the post office to get it back! It's probably on a plane to San Francisco by now. Okay, I'll transfer you. Christina!"

"What's up hon?"

"Mr. Richards is bitching about his files again. He's on line one," Jackie said, exasperated. 

"Again? Jesus Christ, you can't get a fucking package any faster to California! Where's Mark when you need him?" she shouted before running off to her office to pick up the call.

Jackie sighed and slumped down on her desk, shutting her eyes briefly. She hated Monday mornings, especially Monday mornings that followed great weekends. It was only 8:30, and her day had turned to hell faster in the thirty minutes she had been there then it had ever done before. Checking her email, she noticed she had new emails from Natalie, who probably was at her job already. They made a ritual of sending frequent emails back and forth during the morning whenever they were on break.

From: natmurphy 

_Date/Time: 2/25/1997 8:15 AM EDT_

_Subject: hot and heavy with your coworker?_

_Jac-_

_What's the deal? Spill. Did you get tangled up in the bed sheets yet? _

_Resident perv on the block,_

_Natalie_

Jackie shook her head and hit the _Reply_ button.

From: _JackieF@sfp_

_Subject: Re: hot and heavy with your coworker?_

_Went out Friday night, drank way too much. Where do you think we ended up? _

Jackie minimized her email window when Christina walked back in a rampage.

"God I could kill that man! He wants the money in euros now! Jackass!" Christina ran out of the room again and Jackie clicked on her inbox again. "Yuan! Help, I can't translate the currency! YUAN!"

From: natmurphy 

_Subject: Re: hot and heavy with coworker?_

_How was it? Are you guys an item now?_

Jackie hit the reply button again and typed her response.

From: _JackieF@sfp_

_Subject: Re: hot and heavy with you coworker?_

_It was great, at least as much as I can remember. Christina's on a rampage. Gotta go._

Jackie signed out of her email and fielded a few more phone calls before she heard a knock on the doorframe. She looked up and noticed Mark posed by the door, holding a bag of bagels and a coffee in his hand. He walked over and kissed her before setting the food down on her desk.

"Mmm, now this is one ritual I get used to," she laughed, sipping her coffee. "I really needed this," she added, rubbing her temples.

"What time are you off today?" Mark asked, glancing out of the window. A light snow was falling, dusting the sidewalks.

"Around two. Why?" she asked curiously, digging through her desk drawer.

"Good, that's the same time I get off. Meet me downstairs at two. I have an idea," Mark said before leaving her office.

Jackie shrugged and took a bite of her bagel when her phone rang. She picked it up one handedly while sipping her coffee. "SFP, Jackie Ferrell speaking." She didn't get a response, just heavy breathing. "Uh, hello?" She hung up, frustrated.

She went back to searching for a copy of Mr. Richards file when the phone rang again.

"Goddammit Yuan! You're the one who's supposed to know how to translate dollars to euros. YUAN!" Christina hollered, running past Jackie's office again. Her phone rang again, and this time she stared at it for a few seconds before actually picking it up.

"Hello?" she practically screamed into it. 

"You're gonna pay, bitch." Jackie froze and stared at the receiver of the phone.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You and your little friends are gonna pay. Big time. I'm watching you. You're gonna get yours for what you did to me."

"Josh, I swear to fucking god if this—"

"Stay away, Jackie. Stay away from them because I really don't want to hurt them, but I will if I have to."

She heard a click, and then the operator asking her if everything was all right.

"Um, could you see if you could track that last call?" Jackie asked. Her whole body was shaking in her chair, her coffee dripping onto her desk.

"I'm sorry, that call can't be track to a residence. Would you like me to notify anyone?"

"No, um, no. Thanks." Jackie hung up. 

Everybody gets weird phone calls once in awhile, right?

_____________________________________

"Are you sure you're okay with Wes and the guys coming over tonight?" Roger asked, rubbing Mimi's back.

"Roger, I told you three fucking times I don't care if they come over or not. This is me not caring," she said, pointing at herself. "Just take the smoking outside. I can't stand the smell of it. It makes me nauseous." She stood up and walked away from him and into the kitchen, taking out the bread and peanut butter and making herself a sandwich. Roger came over and sat adjacent to her on the barstool.

"Baby, I said I was sorry about coming home really late that night. I know I've been really busy lately," he apologized. Mimi said nothing and put the knife in the sink and poured herself a glass of juice and sat down across from him. "Are you gonna ignore me forever?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I haven't decided," she answered, taking a bite of her sandwich. Roger started making faces at her from across the counter, knowing that he was making her laugh even though she tried to hide it.

"Stop it," she laughed. "I'm trying to enjoy one of the first meals I've actually been able to keep down lately." Roger ignored her until Mimi stood up and took her plate into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Roger followed and sat next to her, tickling her feet.

Mimi glared at him and laughed at the innocent look on his face. "Roger Davis, you are officially annoying."

"Forgive me then? Or I'll just have to keep ticking you the entire night," he laughed, kissing her neck and rolling on top of her.

"Off. I'm trying to eat. Hey baby, do you know your father's a moron?" Mimi joked, rubbing the top of her stomach.

"Ouch," Roger said, clutching his chest over his heart.

"Yeah, I guess I forgive you," she laughed, kissing him sweetly before pulling away to finish her food. "What time are they coming over tonight?"

"Around 7. Wes is bringing his girlfriend Lori and their baby, so you can meet her," Roger suggested. Mimi nodded and stood back up to bring her plate to the kitchen.

"I guess this means no work tonight, huh?" she said, walking back over to him and straddling him.

"Nope, no work tonight."

"How about right now?" she whispered in his ear.

"Uh uh. Nothing I can think of."

"I've got a few ideas," she teased, kissing him again.

______________________

At ten after two, Jackie was standing near the entrance to the SFP building, scanning the reception area for Mark. She kept nervously glancing at everyone that walked it, trying to pinpoint the caller. She had a feeling it was Josh, but until he slipped up or even worse, did something, she wouldn't be sure. She actually contemplated going to the police, until about five minutes later, when Mark came running around the corner.

"Sorry. I got caught up in Christina's office," he said.

"No problem. So, uh, what's this brilliant idea you have?" she asked as Mark hailed a cab for the both of them.

"I've been wanting to pull a prank on Roger for a long time now, but couldn't think of anything to do. So this morning, when I woke up, I figured that I could hold something of his hostage, and make him go crazy looking for it. Not only would it be hilarious, but it would show him that he can't get away with being a smart ass all the time," Mark said as he took a seat in the cab.

"Where to?"

"11th and Avenue B." Mark answered. "One guess at what I could hold hostage?"

"Well, I don't know Roger that well, but I'd say the Fender. Definitely guitar. It's his baby, at least the way he talks about it half the time," Jackie said. She wasn't completely sure where Mark was going with this or if he could pull it off.

"Exactly. So I was thinking that nothing would drive him crazy more than to wake up one morning and go looking for his guitar and not being able to find it."

"That's true, but don't you think he'd automatically think it was you? I mean, it's not a small thing to hide, which makes it hard to lose. It's not an earring or anything," she laughed.

"See, Roger's been all over the place lately. If he's not at Wes' uncle's bar, he's at band practice with the guys, and the guitar is with him for a good chunk of that time. I haven't gotten to the best part yet," Mark said. Jackie shook her head at the gleeful expression on his face.

"Okay. What's the best part?" she asked.

"Roger's having his friends over tonight, and some kind of party is probably gonna go down. Roger's obviously is going to be distracted, so I was thinking about having Collins and Dan smuggle it out, with a little help from Mimi. Then afterwards, I'll gather everybody around and have them add to some kind of psychotic ransom note—just write down what we all want if we all decide to give his guitar back. It'll get him going for a few days, until one of us gives in," Mark laughed.

"Then he'll kill you. The end," Jackie teased.

"Ha ha. You're funny," he said. Mark paid the cab driver and took Jackie's hand, entering the living room of the loft. "Good, by the sound of it, they're occupied."

"Wanna give 'em competition, Cohen?" she joked. Mark turned red and handed her a pile of newspapers. "Hold these for a sec. We'll go downstairs to Collins and get started."

"Collins knows already?"

"Yep, and so does Mimi. I asked her to pass along the message to just about everyone that Roger knows, including members of his band," Mark smirked.

"That's cruel."

"Oh but it's so much fun. C'mon, let's go before he catches on," he added, pushing her out the door. They walked to Collins' apartment and Mark banged on the door. Dan opened it, his hands full of fabric samples.

"Hi guys. Collins is in the kitchen, concocting something new and "exciting"," he laughed. "Sorry, let me clear off the couch for you two." Dan placed the samples onto the coffee table and took the rest off the couch.

"Busy today?" Mark asked, taking off his coat and waiting for Jackie to hand him hers.

"Yeah. I'm running a little behind on Mrs. Lynch's bathroom. She keeps changing the wallpaper, which means I have to keep changing the curtains. Last week it was banana yellow. Now it's pastel blue," he said. Mark shook his head and smiled a little.

"Dan, you remember Jackie, right?" Mark said.

"Of course. Good to see you, sweetheart," he said, shaking her hand.

"You too," she smiled. Collins came out of the kitchen seconds later, wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Hey guys. Okay, so what's the deal?" Collins asked, taking the stack of newspapers from Jackie. Mark explained his plan in all of five minutes.

"This better not turn out to be corny, Cohen," Collins teased. 

"Hey, you're the one who's always helped Roger with his pranks on me." Mark laughed. Collins shrugged and handed him a pair of scissors.

"That was just pure payback for having a camera shoved in your face twenty four seven," he added. "Where is the good old camera these days?"

"Hibernating. Temporarily. Until I get another source of inspiration," Mark said, starting to cut out random letters from the newspapers.

"Wow. Those are words I thought would never have come out of your mouth," Collins joked, handing a pair of scissors to Jackie and Dan before grabbing one for himself. 

"Did you hear about Maureen and California?"

"Christ, if I know Maureen, California better get ready," Dan teased.

"Yeah, I heard," Collins added. "I'm not surprised." Mark looked up and gaped at him.

"What? How can you not be surprised?"

"You can't keep Maureen in one place for too long. It's inevitable. Chad's a decent guy."

"Anyone has to be at least decent to put up with her," Mark grumbled. 

"That bad, huh?" Jackie voiced, searching for more letters to cut out.

"Dramatic, more like it," Dan laughed.

"Well, I think we should do something for her. I mean, I barely know her, but maybe throw her a going away party?" Jackie suggested.

"Yeah, we could pull that off," Collins said, smiling at her.

"I don't know," Mark said.

"Oh c'mon, you can't stay mad at Mo forever." 

"True. Hey, pass me that paper. Jackie?" Mark said. Jackie was staring off into space, mid cut.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Here," she said, handing the paper back to him. Mark looked at her curiously for a second before returning back to the paper.

"So how is ballet going? Any great costumes this year?" Dan asked. 

"It's going. Casting for _Romeo and Juliet_ went up yesterday," she answered.

"It did?" Mark asked. "What did you get? You didn't tell me?"

"…Juliet?" she said quietly. 

"Oh my god, congratulations!" Dan said, running over to her and giving her a hug.

"Thanks," Jackie laughed. Mark leaned over to kiss her, with applause from Dan and Collins.

"That's cute," Collins teased. 

"What's wrong honey? You sound kind of bummed out about it?"

"It's nothing. I just hope I'm what they're looking for this year, because if not, I just might end back up in Australia," she joked. She knew that more rehearsal time meant more time away from her job, and she didn't know how to break it to him about the possibility of her having to quit. "I'm gonna go and get a drink. You don't mind?"

"Not at all," Collins said. Mark got up and followed her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mark asked. "You've been a little distant lately. I mean, you're okay with everything that happened, right? With us?"

Jackie poured herself a glass of water and nodded. "Oh my god, don't even think that I'm not," she said seriously. "I'm really, really happy with everything that happened between us."

"Okay, great," he said, smiling. When he noticed she wasn't smiling back, he walked a little closer. "Something's wrong. You know you can tell me, right?"

"Yeah, I know that. I just don't want you to worry or anything about me," she said.

"Jackie, tell me."

"I'm fine. I have to go anyway. I'm supposed to meet my friend Natalie in an hour anyway," she said, walking away and heading towards the living room to retrieve her purse. "Bye guys," she added, referring to Collins and Dan. 

"See you later!"

Mark walked her out the door and down the stairs to the street.

"You're coming to Roger's later, right?" he asked. 

"Yeah, at seven?" she asked. Mark nodded and Jackie leaned in for a quick kiss before heading down the sidewalk. When she turned the corner, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Natalie's number. Her voice came over the line almost instantly.

"Hello?"

"Hey Nat, it's Jac." She ran down the subway stairs and onto the platform to wait for the next train. Her eyes started to wander over every single person that bumped into her or looked at her, wondering if the person she was afraid of was standing right next to her.

"Hey, where are you? It's kind of loud."

"On the subway. I don't think I can hang out today," she said, piling on with half the population of New York onto the train.

"Everything okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired. I kind of want to go home and sleep," Jackie said.

"No problem babe. See you tomorrow at rehearsal." Jackie clicked off her phone and shoved it back in her purse when it rang again.

"Hello?"

"Jackie don't get off the train."

"Harvey? What the hell are you talking about? Why?"

"Just listen to me. Don't get off at your stop. Josh and a bunch of his asshole friends are waiting for you at the back of the stairs. It's still light out and I don't know what their plan is, but it looks like they're plotting to follow you home."

"Oh my god. You can see them?"

"Yeah, I caught an earlier train off of work and I ran into him. Caught some shit from him, of course, but then he brought you up and walked away. He's fucking sick in the head, Jac."

"Shit. So what am I supposed to do?"

"How many stops are you away from your stop?"

"I just got on. I'm at least a good ten stops away."

"Go somewhere safe—but don't go to Natalie. They'll probably check there next. Shit, okay, I'm gonna call Natalie and get her and we'll meet you somewhere."

"Wait, I'm gonna get off here. Meet me at the corner of 11th street and Avenue B. I'll be at Mark's waiting. Just be careful," she said.

"Yeah, okay. I'm calling the cops on the way to get Natalie. He's not gonna hurt you again, Jac, I promise."

"I just hope they don't show before I get to Mark's, because I'll have a lot more explaining to do then I do already," she said. "Make sure they don't follow you out of the subway station."

"They didn't. I'm sitting in Central Park. I'll meet you in about a half an hour."

"Bye." The train pulled into the next station and Jackie stepped off it, shaking. She couldn't believe something like this was happening to her. This was always something that happened on TV, to other people. 

She didn't need this. Not here, not now.

_______________________________

"Do you think we have enough beer in here?" Mimi complained, digging past two cases of beer to get to the orange juice. Roger grinned from the couch, tuning his Fender.

"You know how we party," he joked.

"Yeah, hard and obnoxiously," she said, pouring herself a glass of juice and taking her vitamins. "These have to be the foulest tasting shit I've ever taking in my entire life. It makes me want to throw up."

"I'm sorry," Roger said from the couch.

"No you're not." She stalked off to the bathroom and slammed the door. 

"Can't you two just get along?"

"This time it's really not my fault," Roger laughed. "Really!"

"Sure."

"She's just in a crazy emotional state lately."

"AM NOT!" Mimi shouted back through the bathroom door.

"I don't blame her. She's pregnant with your kid. That would put anyone in a crazy emotional state," Mark added.

"Jesus, who pissed in your Cap'n Crunch this morning," Roger said defensively.

"No one."

"Female problems too, huh?"

"How'd you guess that one?" Mark teased. "Roger Davis, thinking? By himself?"

"Keep in mind that I'm a good six inches taller than you."

"Oh, believe me I'm scared," Mark retorted.

"As you should be. Spill it," Roger added, putting the Fender back in its case.

"I don't know, I'm probably overanalyzing it, but Jackie seemed kind of distant today and upset about something."

"Not about what happened between you guys, right?" Roger questioned.

Mark scratched and shook his head. "No, she said she was happy about that. So am I."

"Maybe she's on her period. Women get all sappy and bitchy like. I never really figured that out."

"That's kind of how you get when you don't get sex. You've got another thing coming if you think Mimi's gonna wanna sleep with you much longer." Mark joked. "Pregnant women tend to swear off sex when the get into the second trimester. You know that right?"

"Well, I guess I'm fucked then," Roger said, shrugging. "I can wait until after the baby's born."

"No, you can't," Mark laughed.

"MOVING on," Roger cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. "How about you get the door, Mark."

"You're closer."

"I'm occupied."

"Lazy ass." Mark muttered. He walked over to it and flung it open, only to be greeted by three police officers.

"Uh, Roger it's for you," Mark joked. The cops didn't find it funny, and neither did Roger.

"Can we help you?" Roger asked.

"We received a phone call from a Harvey Spataro in reference to a Jacqueline Ferrell, claiming that there's some kind of domestic violence issue going down between her and a former boyfriend, Joshua O' Connell. He said that he, Natalie Murphy, and Jacqueline would be at this residence as soon as possible to have us investigate. Is he here?"

"We don't know Harvey, but Jackie's Mark's girlfriend."

"Sir, can we ask you some questions?"

"Uh, sure, but I'm really confused about what's going on. I wasn't aware that Jackie was having any problems with an ex boyfriend.

The next moment, Harvey and Natalie came charging through the open loft door.

"I'm Harvey Spataro, and we can explain everything."

[A/N: Don't you love those cliffhangers. Maybe just 'cause I'm evil!" Heh. Two chapters in a two-day period of time. Been a writing fiend lately. School starts again for me Wednesday, so I probably won't be able to have the next chapter of this up until Friday because I'll be busy with all the school crap. Take care everyone and thanks for the reviews. 33]


	15. 15

Chapter 15

[A/N: Love to all my reviewers, you guys keep me sane and motivated to add the next chapter. This week's been kind of odd. I've been basically updating in between dance and school and have been able to write one short story (Duct Tape and Strawberry Shampoo), start another novel length story (The Fall), and update this story, which I'm doing write now. I can't guarantee the updates will be so great, because this week was the first week of school and I'm loaded with homework, but I definitely will try to pop out one to two chapters a week depending on how much I can fit into my schedule. Enjoy, and thanks again. 3 Mari]

____________________________________

"_I'm Harvey Spataro, and we can explain everything."_

If three NYPD cops hadn't been standing in his living room, Mark would probably have laughed at the general weirdness of the situation. 

"Well, I think you better, because I have no idea what's going on," Mark stated abruptly. Roger stood with his arms across his chest, and to them, apparently it looked menacing, because Harvey took a few steps back and so did Natalie. Roger realized that he remember Harvey from somewhere, but couldn't place the name with the face.

"Alright Mr. Spataro, what exactly is the issue?"

"Roger, baby? What's going on?" Mimi asked, coming up behind him. Roger extended his hand, and Mimi took it, resting her head against his chest.

"And you are?" Another cop addressed her.

"Mimi Marquez. His girlfriend and his roommate," she said nonchalantly, wagging a finger between the two of them.

"Can somebody tell me what's going on? Is Jackie okay?" Mark asked, raising his voice.

"Jacqueline and Joshua had been dating on and off for two years prior to today. Jackie broke it off, because she caught Josh cheating on her last October. Ever since then, he's been really pissed at her and keeps harassing her—at dance, at work, even when she's hanging out with Natalie and myself—" Harvey cut Mark off and started to explain.  
  


"And you are both professional ballet dancers, I'm assuming?" the officer asked, scribbling down a few notes on his pad. The other two were intently listening in the background.

"Yeah, you could say that. Anyway, Jackie filed a restraining order for a month at the end of October, and he kept his distance. She didn't start hearing from him again until around Christmas, and this time he started threatening her—phone calls, after work, telling her that she would "pay" for what she did to him, which was nothing. He did it all. Stupidly enough, she went back to him a few times, and he landed her in the hospital a few more, injuries that she would play off as accidents. Since she's a dancer, it was kind of hard not to notice her coming to rehearsal or class every other week with a new bruise, or tape wrapped around her ankle. I was leaving my job today, and I had to take the subway, so I stopped at her normal stop and noticed Josh and a bunch of his friends behind the subway stairs, so I went over just to see what they were up to. The minute he mentioned Jackie, I knew she was in trouble, so I called her on her cell phone and told her not to get off at her normal stop because they were waiting for her. She told me to meet her here, and I brought Natalie along, because I didn't want Josh and his gang to end up at her apartment with any crazy ideas in their heads," Harvey finished quietly, wrapping his arm around Natalie's waist.

"And you two are involved?" he asked, pointing to Harvey and Natalie

"Engaged, actually."

"Mmhmm." The officer mumbled a bit to his coworkers and took a few more notes. "Well…"

"Well what?" Mark practically shouted. 

"Until Jackie gets here, we can't do much of anything. When she does, however, we'll ask her a few questions and look up her restraining order on file. We'll set up a hearing within the next few weeks for a court appointed restraining order from the city. Until then, we can either send a patrol car out to be at the location that Miss Farrell finds herself at daily, or we can instruct you to a bodyguard…"

Roger practically snorted, but Mark glared at him and he stopped.

"A bodyguard? Isn't that a little extreme?" Roger asked.

"We take domestic cases in the city very seriously, young man," The officer said sharply. Just as Roger was about to say something back, the loft door creaked open and Jackie appeared, brushing snow out of her hair.

"I'm so sorry about this," she automatically said, rushing over to Mark. He just blinked and nodded.

"You, I presume, are Miss Jacqueline Farrell?"

"Yeah, that's me." The officer then rattled off everything Harvey had just told them all and had Jackie verify it, which she did.

"Anything else I should add before I send this report in downtown?"

"Yeah. Um, today in work I got a phone call from him, saying that I would pay and so would my friends. It really weirded me out, and I tried to have the operator track it, but she said it came from a pay phone."

"Okay. It would be advisable to place a phone tap on your home, work, and possibly this line, in case he ever scrounged up the number somehow. Until then, I insist that you stay with someone instead of living alone until the restraining order is placed again. Any questions?"

"No, thank you," she said. He then nodded and motioned for the two others to follow. "Any problems, don't hesitate to call. We'll post his name and information and keep a lookout."

After the officers left, everyone just stood silently, not moving.

"Well, I guess we better get going," Harvey said quickly.

"Yeah. But thank you," she said, giving him and Natalie a hug before opening the door for them. 

"I guess I better tell the guys that tonight's off," Roger added, reaching over for the phone. Mark stood facing her and sighed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Jackie shrugged and walked over to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I just, didn't want you to worry."

"Worry? Not only do I want to kill this bastard, I can't believe something like this could happen to you," he added. "You know I'm not like him, right? I would never hurt you."

"Yeah, I know. I don't know. I'm sorry," she said in frustration. Mark wrapped his arms around her and she placed her arms around his back.

"Just next time, tell me okay? At least I know what was bothering you before," he joked. Jackie nodded. "You can stay here as long as you want."

"Thank you. I guess I'll go get my stuff tomorrow. I don't feel much like going out," she finished.

"That's fine. Are you hungry? We could order in if you want," Mark suggested.

"Okay. That sounds great." Roger and Mimi were already back in their bedroom, so Mark knocked before barging in.

"We're getting Chinese. What do you want?"

"Shrimp Lo Mein, Pork Fried Rice, and an Egg Roll," Mimi blurted out, before Roger could say anything.

"Yeah…I'll have what she's having," Roger laughed, eyeing her weirdly. Mimi shrugged and curled back up on the bed.

"What do you want?" Jackie was sitting on the couch and Mark came up behind her, kissing her on top of her head.

"Um, Egg Drop Soup with the noodles and an egg roll," she said, tilting her head back to kiss him on the lips.

"Okay." Mark ordered the food, coming back a few minutes later. Jackie was watching the 6 o'clock news, and Roger and Mimi were still in Roger's room.

"It's supposed to storm tonight," Jackie said quietly.

"Yeah, how much?" 

"Some kind of blizzard or something. We're supposed to get anywhere from 12-24 inches. It was already snowing when I got here."  Mark walked over to the window and glanced out. About two inches had already piled up on the sidewalks.

"I'm gonna go look for some extra blankets and candles. We've learned not to trust the power and heating around here too much," he laughed. 

"Need some help?" Jackie asked, coming up behind him.

"If you want." Mark entered the spare bedroom and flicked on the light, making his way over to the dresser. He pawed through the first two top drawers, and when he didn't find anything he made his way to the bottom. "Look through the top box of the closet, there might be some candles in there."

Jackie pulled out a few candles and took them into the living room with her, setting them on the table as Mark followed with extra blankets.

"Looks like we're in for a long night," he joked.

"Shit, I just realized something," Jackie laughed.

"What?"

"That if it storms I'm gonna be trapped here without my clothes and all my other crap. I'm gonna run out really quick—"

"By yourself?"

"Yeah, that's the general idea," she smiled, pulling her leather jacket on.

"I'm coming with you," Mark stated, grabbing his coat from the closet.

"Whatever you say," she laughed, latching onto his hand and pulling him out the door with her.

"Roger we're going out!"

"What about the food?!"

________________________________________

"They left us without any food," Roger whined, lying back down on the bed again. Mimi shrugged and grabbed her brush from the nightstand and pulled it through her curls.

"There's money on the counter. The food guy should be here soon anyway," she added, flipping her head over and piling her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. "Ouch."

"You okay?" Roger asked. He was shuffling around through a bunch of papers on the dresser but looked over, glancing at her curiously.

"I'm fine. My stomach just feels kind of weird. Maybe it's just heartburn," she shrugged. 

"Are you sure?"

"I guess. Your mom called before."

"When?" he asked. He didn't remember hearing the phone ring.

"Well actually it was more of your sister calling. She said she wants your help moving into her new apartment next week and she'd call you again later."

"Great. Did she have a record setting conversation with you?" he asked, strumming a few chord on his Fender before putting it down again.

"We just talked for a few minutes. It's not a big deal. I'd be happy to have family that cared about me," Mimi said quietly.

"It's not like I don't care about them, I just choose to not have them too involved," he added matter of factly.

"Whatever you say Roger." Mimi stood up and walked into the other room. Roger sighed and stood up, following her out of the room.

"Okay, what gives? What did I do to piss you off this time?" he asked.

"Nothing. Forget it."

"Mimi." Roger ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "What's wrong?"

"I said nothing." She turned away from him and walked over to the window, blowing on it a little bit. "I used to love the snow."

"So did I. Now I just see as an inconvenience," Roger joked.

"What do you want to name the baby Roger?" Mimi questioned, adjusting the heater to put it up as high as it could. Roger shrugged—he hadn't really thought about that. At all.

"Well what were you thinking of?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I don't know. Something different, creative maybe."

"How about Roger junior for a boy…and Rogette for a girl," he teased. Mimi playfully smacked his arm and giggled.

"Yeah, great so the kid will be traumatized for the rest of it's life. Rogette. You wish," she laughed.

"We could go with Jason for a boy. Or maybe Jay. Jaden. Jake."

"You like J huh? I like Jay," Roger added. "What about a girl?"

"Alicia? Alyssa? Hmm, Alena?" she said, running a few other names off as well.

"What about Jaylynn?" Roger blurted out. Mimi paused and thought about if for a few seconds. "So it would be a combination of names."

"That's pretty. It's original too."

"Yeah. It could be J-a-e-l-y-n, or-J-a-y-l-y-n, J-a-y-l-y-n-n, J-a-y-l-y-n-n-e…"

"Davis can spell. Congratulations," she teased.

"Hah, you're funny. If you weren't so cute I think I'd be mad at you."

"Oh, so now I'm cute, huh? Does that mean are kid's gonna be cute too?" she laughed.

"If it takes after me it will be…" Roger joked.

"I don't think your ego needs anymore inflating."

"Yeah, probably not. Shit, it's almost 7. I gotta get to work. What's taking the Chinese food guy so long?"

"I don't know. I'm not even that hungry anymore." Mimi took a seat on the couch and pulled the blanket up with her, curling into a ball on the pillow.

Roger retrieved his leather jacket from the closet and put it on. He walked over and kissed her and took one last look out the window. "Looks like it's getting pretty nasty out there," he added.

"Just be careful, and come home if it gets any worse."

"I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled before he closed the door behind himself.

______________________________

Jackie and Mark reentered the loft twenty minutes later to find Mimi fast asleep on the couch, remote in her hand.

"Shh. She's out cold," Jackie whispered as the lights flickered. "What the hell?"

"Fuck. It does that a lot, especially when the snow piles up on the lines," Mark said, walking over to the heater and trying to turn it up before realizing it was up as far as it could go.

"Did the food guy ever come?"

"Nah. Figures, they refuse to come out unless it's 90 degree blue sky weather," he joked. "God it's freezing in here."

"Maybe we should light some of those candles. Got any matches?" Jackie asked.

"Yeah. Bottom drawer next to the sink."

Jackie returned momentarily with a book of matches and proceeded to light the five candles before scattering them around the room in different places. "There." The lights flickered one more time, before completely going out.

"Wow. Good timing," Mark laughed.

"Yeah, you could say that again," Jackie answered, before picking up a candle. "I'm gonna go lay down in your room if that's okay. Come with me?" 

"Of course," Mark said, following her into the bedroom and shutting the door.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________

"Hey Davis!" Roger looked up from wiping down the bar and grinned.

"What's up Wes?"

"Nothing. What's with you canceling on us tonight?" he laughed, taking a seat on a barstool.

"Mimi wasn't feeling that great," Roger lied.

"Oh, alright. What time you getting off tonight?" Wes asked, tapping his finger on the bar.

"11, Mike's closing up early because of the storm. Why?"

"You up for a night with the boys?" Wes smirked. "We're probably gonna go just chill at my place, as long as we're not too loud, because Lori would kick my ass if I woke up the baby."

"I don't know. Mimi might want me to stay home," Roger said hesitantly.

"Yeah, but she's got Mark, right? C'mon, it's only for a few hours."

"Yeah, yeah okay. I guess."

___________________________

Jackie yawned and stretched out on Mark's chest, blindly searching for her shirt in the dark. "What time is it?"

"Around 11:30. We've been asleep for about four hours," Mark added, handing her his shirt instead. "Here. We'll find it later."

"Thanks," she replied, kissing him before she stood up. "I didn't mean to sleep that long," she laughed.

"I think we kind of wore each other out, if you know what I mean," he winked, pulling her back down on the bed with him.

"Mark, I need a shower…" Jackie complained. Mark started to pout and she kissed him and pinched his cheeks. "If my cell rings, can you pick it up for me?"

"Yeah sure. Towels are in there," he added, pointing towards the bathroom closet while pulling her cell phone out of her purse. He heard the shower running and Jackie softly singing to herself and smiled. He stood up and headed towards the living room, where he found Mimi propped up on the couch, a washcloth over her stomach.

"Hey Marky," she smiled, watching the commercials on the TV.

"Hey. You okay there?" he asked, pointing to her stomach.

"Yeah, my muscles are kind of sore. The doctor says that when your uterus gets bigger your muscles stretch and that I'll be sore for a little bit until my body gets use to it. Kind of common sense if you think about it," she replied.

"Glad I don't have one of those."

"Believe me, you're lucky."

"Have you and Roger decided on names yet?" he asked, grabbing the remote and flipping through channels.

"Kind of. He likes Jaylynn for a girl, but I was thinking about Trent for a boy. I don't know. We have a ways to go yet," she said.

"That's true. You're still fighting over paint colors, last I heard." Jackie's phone started ringing, and he reached over to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, uh Mark? Is Jackie there?"

"Yeah, but she's in the shower. Who's this?"

"Harvey. Can I talk to her? It's important."

"Yeah…let me go see if she's out yet." Mark stood up and knocked on the bathroom door to find Jackie bent over the sink, towel wrapped around her body and running a brush through her bleach blonde hair. 

"Water ran out. At least the power's back on," she laughed.

"It has a tendency to do that. Harvey's on the phone for you," Mark stated, handing it to her.

"Okay, thanks." Jackie reached over to take the phone from him.

"Hello? Harvey calm down. Okay, what happened? I can't understand you; you're talking too fast. Oh god, I'll be right there." Jackie skidded into Mark as she left the bathroom.

"Jac? What's wrong?" Mark asked, grabbing her shoulders.

"I don't…Natalie…Natalie's in the hospital. Harvey…he said that they took his car out for a ten-minute drive to make sure that the engine wasn't frozen because of the weather, you know in case they ever needed it during the storm. He said that he hit an ice patch and couldn't turn in time and an SUV hit the passenger side head on…"Jackie trailed off.

"Oh my god," Mimi said, standing up and walking over to them.

"I don't believe this," Jackie said. "Mark I gotta go. I have to." Jackie didn't wait for an answer and threw on his shirt and her jeans and practically ran out the door.

"Okay, calm down. We'll take the subway. What hospital?"

"NYU. They should still be running, there's only about six inches of snow on the ground," she added frantically, grabbing her jacket and running down the stairs.

"I'm coming with you," Mimi shouted, grabbing her own coat and closing the loft door after Mark who was trying to catch up with Jackie.

"Should we leave a note for Roger?" Mark shouted back at her.

"Forget it. There's no time."

_________________________________

Mark spent the whole subway ride attempting to calm Jackie down, who was sobbing hysterically. Mimi was silent, partly because she hated hospitals and hated to see people suffer. She just held Jackie's hand and rubbed it back in forth the whole time while Jackie rested her head in Mark's lap.

Jackie could barely gather enough courage as she entered the NYU emergency room. Her stomach felt empty, but yet at the same time she felt as if she were going to throw up all of last week's meals. Mark had his arm firmly wrapped around her shoulder, and before she could walk to the admit desk, she saw Harvey hobbling down the hall on his crutches, his head bandaged. One look at him caused her to burst into tears at him.

"Is she okay? Are you okay?" Jackie cried, hugging him.

"I don't know Jac. God I wish I knew. She's awake and she's been asking for you for the last twenty minutes. They don't know how long she's gonna hold on for. It's pretty bad. They only told me that the impact damaged a few of her internal organs and that she's got massive internal bleeding. I'm so scared Jac," Harvey whispered. "I can't lose her. Not like I lost April."

Mark shot his head up at the mention of an April.

"I'm gonna go and see her, okay? Just don't go anywhere." Jackie said, giving him a final hug before following Harvey down the hall.

"Did he just say April?" Mimi asked, removing her coat and taking a seat.

"Yeah. I don't know. There's lots of April's in New York, right?" Mark shrugged. "I feel so horrible about everything. Why does the bad shit always happen to the good people?"

"I don't know Mark. I don't know."

___________________________

Jackie clutched the doorknob and pushed it open silently, the bright hall lights illuminating the dim room. She could make out Natalie's form in the hospital bed, various machines hooked up to her. She looked so fragile, completely lost. 

"Nat?"

"Jackie? Is that you?" she croaked, trying to move her head a bit in Jackie's direction. "If you didn't come I would have kicked your ass."

"Yeah. You're gonna make it Nat. You're a fighter." Jackie wiped a tear from her eye and sat down on the edge of Natalie's bed. Her head was bandaged just like Harvey's, and her arm was in a splint. She could make out various bruises up and down her arms and could only imagine how bad they could be on her torso.

"You always were a bad liar."

"I'm not lying. You are. You're gonna get better, and you're gonna dance in front of thousands of people. You remember when I first met you? We got into such a bad fight, and I told you that your feet were terrible and that you had the shittiest turnout I had ever seen," Jackie whispered, trying to keep Natalie awake.

"Oh yeah. Then I told you to stick it where the sun don't shine. We both laughed and we've been friends ever since." Natalie closed her eyes briefly and inhaled. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That I won't make it to see your wedding, or your first baby. That I won't be able to hug you after your first performance of Romeo and Juliet. I won't be able to grow old with you and we won't be able to have our own dance school like we promised each other," Natalie said, wincing slightly.

"Natalie…" Jackie trailed off, the tears flowing freely now.

"Stop it Jackie. I'm dying, I know that. The doctors know that, but they won't come out and say it. I knew that when that car hit me that this was the end and I've gotta face it."

"I'm gonna miss you so much," Jackie whispered, wrapping her arms around Natalie's shoulders gently.

"I'm gonna miss you more than you'll ever know. What am I gonna do without my Jac huh? _They never told you the price you pay, for things that you might have done…"_

"Only the good die young," Jackie added.

"Yeah. I'm so sleepy. I think they drugged me too much," Natalie added, trying to laugh.

"They don't want you to feel any pain."

"I know, but I still do. Right here," she added, resting her hand to her chest.

Jackie was openly sobbing by now, although she was trying to hide it. She wanted to be strong for Natalie, but she couldn't, no matter how much she tried.

"Hey. Stop that," Natalie said slowly. "Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"You keep my pointe shoes. I know they're your size. When they wear out, you keep them. This way I'll know I'll always be dancing in your heart. Come here," she added, patting the space next to her on the bed. Jackie sighed and rested her head lightly on Jackie's shoulder. 

"I don't want you to go. Don't go Nat. I need you here with me."

"You have Mark. I know a keeper when I see one. You hang onto him. He's falling in love with you," she said quietly, sharply inhaling a breath. "Goddamn that hurt."

"But I need you. You were the first person I met when I came to the States. Who do I have now?"

"Mark. His friends. Harvey. You take care of Harvey for me okay? I love you both so much."

"This isn't fair. Why you Natalie? You never did anything wrong!"

"I know babe. I know."

"I don't know how to say goodbye to you…" Jackie trailed off, wiping her eyes again.

"I'll always be with you. Forever. You keep dancing, you here me? Don't you fucking give up anything because of me. Nothing. Not a thing. You stay away from Josh, okay?"

"I will. I promise."

The room was silent for the next few minutes, and Harvey poked his head in.

"Hey," he said shakily, coming to sit on the other side of Natalie.

"Hi sweetheart," she responded, resting her head on Harvey's shoulder. Jackie smiled bravely at Harvey and noticed that he too was trying to fight back tears.

"You're comfortable, right? I mean, if there's anything…"

"Shh. I'm fine," she tried to smile, kissing him gently. "Hey Jac, try to lighten the mood a little bit. You're forever humming that Beatles song, so could you sing it maybe? For me?"

"Yeah…"

_____________________________________
    
    _There are places I remember, all my life,_
    
    _Though some have changed_
    
    _ Some forever, not for better_
    
    _Some have gone and some remain._
    
    _All these places have their moments_
    
    _Of lovers and friends I still can recall_
    
    _Some are dead and some are living_
    
    _In my life I loved them all._
    
    _And with all these friends and lovers_
    
    _There is no one that compares with you_
    
    _And these memories lose their meaning_
    
    _When I think of love as something new_
    
    _And I know I will never lose affection_
    
    _For people and things that went before_
    
    _I know I'll often stop and think about them._
    
    _In my life I loved you more…_
    
    _And I know I will never lose affection_
    
    _For people and things that went before_
    
    _I know I'll often stop and think about them._
    
    _In my life I loved you more_
    
    _In my life I loved you more…_

____________________________ 

[A/N: Jeez, that was sad. ..I'm sorry guys. Anyway, I know it might seem kind of odd and rushed, but there's a reason behind everything in the story, including Lisa's disappearance (haven't forgotten about her either).

Coming up: Jackie disappears, and Lisa reappears. Thanks for all the reviews. :) 


	16. 16

Chapter 16

[A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Love you all! 33]

___________________

"So that's the last of the forms then?"

Jackie sighed and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, signing Harvey's name on the bottom line, since his arm was casted.

"Yeah. Thanks," Harvey answered.

Mimi and Mark were still sitting in chairs, Mark standing up every few seconds to see what Jackie was doing. It was after 1 AM, and still she hadn't returned.

"Stop it. Leave her alone for two seconds," Mimi scolded gently. "She's been through a lot."

"Yeah. I know. I just don't know what to say to her." Mark slumped down into the seat some more and Mimi stood up. Natalie flat lined about forty-five minutes ago, and ever since then Jackie had been stuck in admit filling out forms.

"Look, if you don't mind, I'm really going to head back to the loft. Roger's probably worried, and I'm feeling kind of sick," Mimi said, pulling her coat back on. "Tell Jackie…tell her that I'm sorry? I don't know, what are you supposed to tell people when someone dies. I'm not very good at it…"

"Yeah. I don't know either, but I'll think of something. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will." Mimi bent over and kissed Mark lightly on the cheek before strolling out of the emergency room.

"Hey Jac?"

"Yep?" Jackie looked up and noticed Harvey cradling something in his free hand. She put down the pen and handed the forms to the nurse.

"This was uh…she wanted you to, you know, have this." He dropped the silver bracelet into her hand. Jackie fingered it lightly before putting it into her pocket.

"Thank you."

"I got a hold of the funeral home and everything.  I don't know who exactly is gonna come, but I requested a closed casket and everything. The um, the funeral is Wednesday…well tomorrow morning now. I hope this doesn't sound selfish, but I just want to get it over with." Harvey cleared his throat and looked down at his feet.

"I know," Jackie answered, kissing his forehead. "What about flowers and everything? And the gravestone?"

"The funeral home said they'd take care of the flowers, but I gotta tell them what I want on the tombstone. They said they'll put a temporary one up for now, but I want a nice one for her."

"Of course." Jackie glanced around the waiting room, which was practically deserted in their section.

"I want her buried near April, okay? I mean, I do. I think it would be right. But um, I'm just going to talk to the doctor again about my painkillers and then finish up around here, but if you want, you can go home…"

"I don't mind staying," she answered.

"I know that, but I'd rather I spend some time alone."

"That's fine. I'll put into a call to Bertrand and let her know, about everything. Rehearsal should be off for awhile."

"Thanks Jac. I'll call you tomorrow morning." He turned away from her and hobbled down the hall and out of sight. Jackie pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and shoved her hands in her pockets, taking a final glance at the ward she was standing in before entering the waiting room. Mark practically jumped at her when she came walking in.

"Where's Mimi?"

Mark looked at her curiously. She was acting as if nothing had happened—like it was just a routine visit to the hospital. Understandable in a way, but strange all the same. He'd probably be acting the same way—mad at the world.

"She uh, wasn't feeling too good so she went home. She didn't want Roger too worry. How are you?"

"How would you be?" Jackie phrased back at him, walking ahead of him.

"I don't know how I would be," Mark answered honestly. 

"The funeral's Wednesday. I'd appreciate it if you could get everyone together and have them come, for moral support I guess. I don't mean to be blowing you off or anything, but I'm going to head back to my apartment and clear my head a little bit. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Jackie it's storming out," Mark replied logically. 

"I know. I need to go," she said, kissing him on his cheek.

She was gone.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_________________________

Jackie stepped off of the subway, wrapping her arms around herself. She trudged through the eight inches of snow that had fallen before reaching her apartment building complex. This couldn't be happening. Everything had started out as a perfectly routine Monday. Their daily emails, Mark's crazy ransom joke, Josh following her home. The accident. Now Natalie was dead. It all seemed so fucking final. Jackie angrily dug around in her coat for a few seconds before realizing that she had left her purse at Mark's place. Great. 

"God fucking dammit," she yelled out, digging her spare key out from underneath the flowerpot. She roughly shoved the key in the door before kicking it open. Flinging her coat onto the couch, she bolted the door behind her and ran into her bedroom. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and started rummaging through her nightstand drawer, pulling out the packet of papers she was looking for ten minutes later. She picked up the cordless phone and dialed the numbers listed on the paper, and before long, a voice came over the line.

"Newark International Airport, how may I help you?"

"Hi, um, I need a one way ticket to Sydney, Australia for a Thursday departure. I don't care what airline."

"We can put you on American Airlines Flight 1001, departing from Newark at 5:40 PM and arriving in Los Angeles, California at 8:40 PM PST. There would be an approximate 1 hour, 50 minute layover, with the next flight departing from Los Angeles at 10:30 PM and arriving in Sydney, Australia at 6:10 AM…"

"That's fine. Book it please." Jackie dug through the drawer some more and pulled out her credit card, prepared to read the number to the operator.

"The total cost comes to $1630. How would you like to pay for this?"

"By credit."

"All right, your name first."

"Jacqueline Ferrell."

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­-________________________________

Roger coughed softly, the freezing air burning his lungs. 'Great, just what I need, to get sick.' He practically ran the rest of the way down the block, just because he knew that a decently warm loft was better than freezing out on the street. It was 5:30 when he left Wes and Lori's, meaning it was probably pretty close to 6 o'clock right now. He took the stairs two at a time, which was a task in itself, since he was beyond exhausted and had a few drinks which impaired him even more. He removed the key from his pocket and gently creaked the door open, hoping that he could sneak in quietly enough and play everything off. He realized that he was very wrong when he was greeted by just about everyone, minus Benny, in the loft. The lights were on, causing him to wince a little.

"Guys? What's going on? It's 6 AM. Either I missed out on one great party, or I missed something," he joked.

No one responded right away. Collins and Dan were sitting side by side on the couch, their hands entwined. Mimi had her head in Collins lap and her feet in Maureen's and she was sniffling softly. Mark's head was rested on the kitchen table, his feet curled up underneath him.

"Hello?" Roger walked over and knelt in front of Mimi, brushing a few curls out of her face.

"Where were you?" she asked angrily.

"I went out with Wes after work. I'm sorry I didn't call," Roger apologized. 

"I thought you said you wouldn't! Goddammit Roger." Mimi cursed under her breath. Mark shot his head up and sighed.

"Can we please not witness this right now?" he asked calmly. Maureen stood up and wrapped her arm around his shoulders and kissed the top of his forehead.

"Collins?" Roger asked. "What's going on?"

"Jackie's friend Natalie died in a car accident last night. Her boyfriend was taking the car for a quick run down the street, they hit some ice and they were broadsided by an SUV on the passenger's side. She flat lined about an hour later. They couldn't save her. Jackie isn't picking up her phone, and she hasn't come back for her purse either. We're just worried about her," Collins answered. That's Collins for you. Knows how and when to say it to get it through your head.

"I didn't know." He propped himself up next to Mimi and she reached out for his hand. Roger took her hand into his and rub back and forth, and soon enough she's laying in his lap and not Collins.

"It's not your fault sweetie. No one could have prevented what happened last night," Maureen smiles in my direction.

"I'm going to call in to work and tell them what happened if they don't already know. Maybe I can take some time off to be with Jackie, or go out on assignment leave."

Assignment leave was basically where Mark was assigned a shooting assignment and given a certain amount of time to complete it in, usually anywhere from a week to two months. At the short lived jobs he's worked at before, he used to be out on leave frequently. The job suited him well and was much better than being cooped up in an office all day.

"Yeah, okay."

"Are you tired?" Mimi whispered, her brown eyes searching my face in concern. 

"A little. You?"

"Very. Come with me? I've been up all night." Roger nodded in agreement and Mimi wrapped her arm around his waist, leading him toward their bedroom. Roger shut the door and stripped down to his boxers as Mimi took off her own shirt, climbing into bed with her bra and sweatpants on. Roger noticed that her stomach was definitely starting to pooch out now, and the prospect of him becoming a father was starting to hit him.

"What?" Mimi laughed, noticing him staring at her stomach. She reached over and took his hand, placing it on her belly. "I know you can't feel much of anything until I get farther along…" She shifted closer to him and rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his other hand around her back, kicking the blankets up over them.

"It's incredible."

"I know. I'm sorry I yelled out you before." She sighed and traced the tattoos along his arm before kissing them gently.

"I deserved it. I stayed out too late. I didn't know…"

"I know. There's nothing we can do now. Mark's going to try and convince Jackie to move in with us," Mimi added. "He thinks it would be good for her."

"It probably would. I have to tell you something later, about the reason I stayed over Wes' so long last night." He could feel her tense up underneath him and laughed. "It's nothing like that baby. You know I never would."

"I know. It's nothing bad, is it?"

"No. I'll tell you about it some other time." He kissed her and shut his eyes.

"Love you Roger," she yawned, before curling up against him.

­­­­­­­­­­­___________________________________________

"Well," Maureen sighed picking at a strand of her hair. "I guess there goes Roger's and Mimi's surprise."

Collins rolled his eyes and had to laugh at Maureen's pouty expression. "We can still surprise them, just after they wake up. You don't mind, right Mark? I mean, the reservations are already made…but if you want to put it off because of everything that happened last night, I understand."

Mark stood up from the kitchen counter and threw his coat on. "No, it's fine. Just wait until I come back in a few hours. I'm gonna go and see if Jackie's okay. I should be back by 10 latest." Mark slipped out the door, and Collins walked into the kitchen and returned with two cups of coffee.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I thought pregnant women weren't supposed to travel anywhere by plane," Dan added cautiously.

"It's fine. I checked it out with Mimi's doctor too. They said that as long as she's past the first trimester, which she will be by the time they leave, and if she feels up to it, she's perfectly fine to travel." Maureen gloated.

"Here we go. Somebody get out the balloons," Collins joked. 

_____________

"Hello?" Jackie said, groggily answering the phone. She had fallen asleep on the couch, the travel papers still in her lap. 

"Hey," Harvey answered. "Did I wake you?"

"Kind of, but I didn't get more than an hour or two of sleep anyway. How are you?"

"I'm dealing. I just wanted to let you know that the mass is scheduled for 9 AM tomorrow morning, and the burial follows around 11. Jac…this is really hard."

"I know sweetheart. Um, I got a hold of Bertrand last night after I got home. She went as far to reschedule the spring productions for August."

"That's a relief. I um, want you to know something."

"Okay."

"After the funeral I'm going to stay in Los Angeles for awhile with my sister…probably for a month or two. I booked it about ten minutes ago."

"That's weird. If I tell you this, you have to promise not to tell Mark or anything," Jackie said to him.

"Okay. Promise."

"I'm leaving for Sydney Thursday night and I don't really know when I'm coming back, if I come back." 

"Jac. You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm serious. That's why I don't want Mark to know."

"So you're going to sneak out of the country and leave this guy who's crazy about you and never see him again? Are you insane? Jackie."

She sighed and placed the phone on her other ear. "I know, but I don't know what else to do. I don't want to be here right now."

"So take him with you. Tell him you're going and ask him. I saw the way he looked at you when I met him that one day. He'd do anything for you. All you have to do is ask."

"I don't know…I guess I could, but I already booked the flight. Plus, his friend Maureen is leaving for California on the 1st. I don't think he'd want to leave without seeing her off."

"Just ask him and see what he says. Try to get some sleep, okay? Natalie wouldn't want us sitting around on our asses moping."

Jackie hung up with Harvey a few minutes later, standing up to stretch. She was still wearing the jeans and sweater she had on last night, and was in desperate need of a good shower. Before she could move down the hall, her doorbell rang.

"Excellent timing," she muttered, unlocking and opening it. 

"Hey…I um, know you need some time alone, but I figured you might be hungry, so I uh, brought you something to eat," Mark stuttered, handing her the bag of bagels.

"Thanks. Come in, you look like you're freezing," she smiled. "I didn't know you knew where I lived."

"Your address was listed on my copy of the resume, so I figured…" 

"Mark stop. I'm glad you came," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I ran out on you last night." Mark took off his coat and then placed his arms around her waist, pulling him closer to her.

"I understand. You look like you didn't get much sleep," he added, kissing her forehead.

"Neither do you. Did you stay up all night?"

"Yeah. I was worried about you. I couldn't sleep," he grinned sheepishly. 

"I'm sorry. I was just about to take a shower and change, so if you want you could get a head start with breakfast or you could join me," she suggested. Mark shrugged and followed her down the hall.

"I could really use one anyway. Not like I'd pass up the offer to be with you. It's every little boy's fantasy," he joked.

"Uh huh. Well how about I make that fantasy a reality?" she laughed, throwing a towel at him. She paused for a minute and stared off into space.

"It's okay to laugh Jac."

"I know. It just feels wrong. C'mon," she said, taking his hand and leading him into the bathroom with her. "I guarantee that my water stays warm for more than ten minutes."

__________________

"God, he's out like last year's Prada shoes," Dan laughed, pointing to Roger's bedroom door. It was true—Roger was snoring pretty loudly, and Collins knew well enough that he'd be out for several more hours. It was close to 9:30, and Maureen had taken over the role of breakfast maker, flipping pancakes and frying bacon in the kitchen. 

"Well, if the smell of food doesn't wake him up, then I don't know what will." Collins chuckled to himself before throwing more paper into the wood burning stove, which was rarely used anymore.

"Mimi won't like that. She says smoke makes her sick now," Maureen called over. Collins shrugged and lit it anyway.

"We can always put it out. Besides, she's sleeping and it's cold."

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Come and get it boys!" she shouted, running her hands under water.

"Mo aren't you leaving for California soon?" Dan asked, shoveling pancakes into his mouth.

"Yeah. I started packing yesterday. I still have to talk to Benny about my apartment. I don't know if I want to keep it or not. Chad kind of likes it," she smiled.

"So keep it. It's not like we get new tenants frequently," Collins chided, taking a sip of his orange juice. He folded down a section of the paper and scanned it briefly.

"I'm going to get a blanket. Get the door someone!" 

Collins kicked back his seat and walked over quickly and opened it, surprised at who was standing on the doormat.

"Hi."

"Lisa? Oh god. Dan, I need some help over here!" Collins shouted over, grabbing Lisa's elbow and steadying her. She was visibly shivering from head to toe, her arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to warm herself. Her lips were tainted blue, and she had the appearance of someone that had been living on the street for weeks. In fact, Collins was _sure_ she had been living on the streets. "Maureen!" Maureen ran out, blanket shoved under her arm.

"Lisa?! Oh my god! Honey what happened to you?" Maureen cried out. Collins picked her up and placed her on the couch. He tried to take her coat off but she shook her head.

"No. Cold…don't tell Mark, he'll kill me. I've been lying to him this whole time, he'll kill me," she whispered softly. "Don't tell him." Collins placed his hand against her forehead.

"She's burning up," he verified. Maureen looked up at him in shock.

"You and Dan stay on the other side of the room and open the windows. We don't know what she has and get Roger and Mimi up…shit…then…wait a minute, Dan do me a favor and run some hot water in the tub right now…shit I can't think!" Maureen screamed out. "My mother's a nurse and I can't remember what to do!"

"Calm down Mo. I'll get Roger and Mimi up. Then Maureen, go grab as much ice as possible out of the freezer from up here, then go down to my place and your place and get more from there. Use the snow outside if you have to, but stick it in the freezer up here. We'll put her in the ice first to bring her fever down, and then we'll run the hot water to help stop her shivering. It makes more sense that way, since the fever will be down a little and the warm water will keep her muscles warm." Collins ran into Roger and Mimi's bedroom, and Maureen and Dan lifted Lisa onto their shoulders and helped her into the bathroom. Mimi started pulling off her coat and scarf when Dan returned with the ice and dumped three ice cube trays into the tub.

"Lisa sweetie, look at me," Maureen said gently. Lisa was starting to close her eyes and Maureen had to keep shaking her to keep her awake. "We're going to put you in the tub now, okay honey?" It wasn't working. She was still drifting in and out of consciousness. "Lisa. How many months pregnant are you?"

"Lisa looked up slowly and stepped into the tub with Maureen's help. "Six…" Maureen helped her into a sitting position and placed a towel over body from the chest down, just in case Collins, Dan, or Roger happened to barge in. 

"Do you know what you're having?" Maureen asked. Collins poked his head in and set a bucket of steaming water in front of the tub.

"I got this from my place downstairs. I figured you might need it. I brought the thermometer too." Roger peeked over Collins' shoulder and tried to push his way in. 

"Lisa?!" he shouted through the door. 

"Roger I don't want you getting sick!" Maureen shouted at him. Roger barged in anyway.

"I don't give a fuck!" He knelt next to the tub and reached into it, grabbing her hand in his and rubbing it softly.  

"Roger…I don't want you sick," she said, trying to pull her arm away from him. Roger held his grip and flipped it over, noticing bruises track marks up and down her arm. Lisa pulled away and started sobbing quietly in the tub, rubbing her wrist.

"The fuck is that Lisa! How could you do that to Mark! Jesus Christ," Roger shouted. Collins pulled him up and towards the door as Maureen got in his face.

"You go and fucking sit out there and cool off! She doesn't need you yelling at her right now!" Maureen yelled. "We've gotta figure something out!" She pushed Roger out and shut the door in his face. "Oh sweetie don't cry. Nobody's mad at you right now."

"Roger is!" she sobbed. "And when Mark finds out he's going to kill me! Then he'll tell Mark and he'll kill me!" 

"Nobody's going to kill anyone. Here, let me take your temperature," She stuck the thermometer under Lisa's tongue. "102.1. You should start to feel better soon, once your temperature comes down."

"Uh huh." Lisa was shivering again and now rubbing her hand over her stomach.

"Lisa? What's wrong?" Maureen asked, smoothing down her hair. 

"Maureen, I think…I just had a contraction. I don't know, but it really hurts. I remember when Cindy had her baby…" Lisa shivered again, and Maureen figured that now would be the best time to get her out of the tub.

"Collins! Can you do me a favor and grab one of Roger's t shirts and hand it to me, and then maybe bring me a pair of his sweatpants?" she asked. She could hear Roger and Mimi arguing in the background and at the same time the loft door opening and Mark's voice interrupting anyone. "Shit."

"What's going on guys? Why does everyone look so panicked?" Mark asked, taking off his coat. Jackie was clinging onto his hand, and her eyes were red rimmed and puffy. 

Lisa started sobbing again and grabbed onto Maureen's sleeve. "Please don't let him in here. I don't want him to see me like this. He'll hate me," she cried.

"Whose Maureen talking to in the bathroom?" he asked curiously. Roger stood up and beat him to it, throwing his body against it to block the door.

"Uh, no one?" Roger said unconvincingly. 

"Move it." Mark attempted to slip under Roger's arms. Jackie was sitting on the couch with Mimi, eyeing the scene in front of her, while Collins had handed the shirt and sweatpants to Roger.

"Mark you can't freak out, okay sweetie?" Maureen said through the door.

"Okay."

"Lisa's here."

"She is? Let me see her," Mark said, a tone of excitement in his voice.

"You might want to call 911 first. She's in labor."

"WHAT? She's only six and a half months pregnant!" he shouted. "Maureen lemme in!"

"Can you let her get dressed first? Roger?" Roger sighed and moved Mark out of the way so Collins could get the clothes to Maureen.

"I'll get on the phone right now," Collins added.

"Here. Let me help you out and we'll get you to the hospital, okay? Then you can tell everyone what happened later on." Maureen wrapped her arm around Lisa's back and helped her out of the tub. She pulled the sweatshirt over her head and helped her step into the sweatpants before tying her hair back with a rubber band. 

"I don't want to tell him Maureen," Lisa said. Maureen smiled quickly before placing Lisa's arm around her neck.

"I'm on hold!" Collins shouted, slamming down the phone in frustration.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_____________________________________

Maureen opened the bathroom door and helped Lisa out, who was practically falling asleep on her. Mark immediately rushed over and grabbed her other arm and put it around his neck, leading her to the couch.

Lisa sat down and winced. "Mark it hurts. It shouldn't hurt, it's too soon." Mark sighed and started rubbing her stomach for her. 

"I know it's a shitty time for introductions, but Lisa, this is my girlfriend Jackie," Mark said. Jackie smiled politely, looking as if she didn't know what she was doing with these people. "I know it hurts. You don't have to tell me anything right now, but I want to know later, okay? You can tell me anything."

Lisa started shaking her head and crying again. "I can't, I can't tell you this. You'll hate me," she cried.

"Okay, here's what we're doing. Mark, you and Lisa are getting in the back of my Acura so she can stretch out. I don't know; act like you're her Lamaze coach or something. I'll drive, and Roger and Mimi can squeeze in the front seat together. Somebody either get on the phone with the yuppie landlord or Collins, Dan, and Jackie are going to have to take the subway to the hospital."

"Subway." Collins and Dan said simultaneously. Jackie shrugged, and Mark looked over and rubbed her hand. 

"I think that's a better idea. I don't want him involved," Mark added. 

"Okay. We'll all meet at NYU admit in half an hour. Whoever gets there first makes sure the doctors know that Lisa's coming and tell her that she's in preterm labor and has a fever of 102.1. Got it?" Everyone nodded. When Maureen took charge, you either followed or suffered the consequences. "Okay, and regroup! I'm going to get some towels!"

Mark pulled Jackie aside as Roger held her hand through the next contraction. "You're okay?"

"I'm fine. I want to be there for you now." Mark kissed her before she ran out the door with Collins and Dan.

"Mark, catch!" Maureen stated, throwing a stack of four towels at him. "Roger, do me a favor and carry her down the stairs, can you manage that, or do you still have a stick shoved up your ass?"

"Yes M'am," Roger saluted. "Okay, put your arm around my neck and just lean back when I pick you up, okay?"

"Okay." Roger picked Lisa up effortlessly and started down the stairs with her, Maureen handing him a towel in case. Mimi slipped on her coat and followed after Mark, shutting the door to the loft. Maureen was already at the bottom and had started up the car and was now shoving snow off the windshield with Mimi's help. 

Roger put her down and with Mark's help on the other side, he placed her into the car. Lisa situated herself so that her head was in Mark's lap and her feet were pulled up a bit. Maureen came in back and handed Mark a few towels "just in case". Roger took a seat in the passenger side and pulled Mimi onto his lap, his arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.

"You okay baby?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

Mimi nodded slowly and rested her head against his. "Yeah. It's just so scary. That could be me, you know?"

"I know."

___________________________________________

"Just work on your breathing, okay sweetie? Breathe with me," Maureen said, imitating the breathing technique for her. She was speeding down the slushy roads and had volunteered Roger as her driving partner.

"I'm trying," Lisa said, gripping Mark's hand. Mark wiped at her forehead with the towel, and minutes later it was drenched with sweat again. He was rubbing her stomach for her again with the opposite hand, hoping it helped her relax some. 

"Fuck," Mark cursed under his breath. "Hey Rog, how about you hold her hand for awhile."

"Nope, my hands are definitely more valuable than yours." Roger turned around and winked at him.

"I'm sorry Mark," Lisa said quietly, bracing herself for another contraction.

"No, no, I was just kidding. Trying to lighten the mood. How are you feeling?" he asked, helping her sit up a bit.

"I really wish I was born with a penis right now," she said, causing Roger to cough, and then laugh out loud. "Stuff it Davis."

Maureen pulled in front of the emergency room five minutes later. Just as the car screeched to a halt, Mark was out the door and helping Lisa out and into a wheelchair that Roger had claimed in the 60 seconds since they had arrived. Maureen ran in front of them and smacked the admit desk to get the head nurse's attention. Unfortunately, she also got the whole waiting room's attention too.

"Lisa, you can't go to sleep," Mark said, trying to keep her awake. "Do something Roger."

"Can we help you?" the nurse asked, glancing down at them all.

"My friend Lisa is six and a half months pregnant and is in labor. She has a fever of 102.1 last time we checked," Maureen blurted out. The nurse nodded and took over the wheelchair, taking her straight to the elevators. 

"Someone informed us she would be arriving. We have a delivery room ready upstairs. Which one of you is the father?" she asked, scanning all of them, her gaze landing on Roger.

"Oh no, sorry. I'm just a friend." Mimi linked her hand through his and sighed softly. 

"I'm her brother and her legal guardian," Mark said, lying about the legal guardian part. He knew that if he didn't say that, the hospital would be on the phone with their parents in no time.

"Can I have the ages of yourself and your sister then?"

"I'm 24, Lisa's 17." The elevator stopped at the 8th floor, and everyone got out to find Collins, Dan, and Jackie sitting in chairs directly in front of them. They all rushed over, but the nurse shooed them away with her hand. "I know you all may be friends with her, but I can only have a total of two other people in the delivery prep room. So pick and choose amongst yourselves if you must." She wheeled Lisa into the room and helped her get changed into the hospital gown while everyone waited outside.

"Mark, you and Maureen go. She'll need another female in there. No offense Mimi," Collins said.

"None taken."

"Okay. Yeah. Do not, under any circumstances, call my parents. I mean it Roger."

"And why would I do that?" 

"I actually don't know, but just don't, okay?" Mark said.

"We'll be in the waiting room Mark," Collins said, attempting to usher everyone away down the hall. Jackie stayed behind and gave Mark a quick hug. 

"You'll do great. She's going to be fine," she reassured. Mark kissed her and smiled before letting her go. Her rejoined Lisa, who was already sitting up in bed and had an IV in her arm. Maureen was sitting on the edge of her bed, rubbing her hand back in forth. 

"Hello, I'm Doctor Tyler, and I'll be in charge of…Lisa Cohen today," a female voice said brightly. Mark stood up to shake her hand. "From what your friends told me, you say you're six and a half months pregnant and have a fever. I'm going to ask you both to step out so I can examine Lisa and draw some blood, then we'll go from there."

A few minutes later, Dr. Tyler stepped out and closed the door behind herself. "Okay, Mr. Cohen, your sister is definitely in active labor. We can try and start her on drugs to stop the labor, but she's already five centimeters dilated and 100% effaced. We'd like to do an ultrasound, and possibly prep her for the epidural if that's what you'd like. She's just short of 28 weeks, which is farther along than I assumed when she came in. It looks like she's been in progressive labor for at least a full 24 hours or so, which isn't that uncommon in teen mothers. We do have a full NICU facility at this hospital, and a team of specialists will be waiting to take the baby once it is born. I'm going to run these tests down to the lab, and then send the anesthesiologist this way. I'll be back in half an hour to check on her progress, and until then, a nurse will be on call to attend to your needs".

"The epidural is fine!" Lisa called through the door. The doctor laughed and walked down the hall. Mark turned to Maureen and sighed, taking her hand in his.

"Here we go…"

­­­­______________________________________________


	17. 17

One Week—17

___________

"February 26th, 7 PM , EST. Zoom in as my lovely sister Lisa sleeps, stuck in the midst of preterm labor."

Maureen groaned and wrestled the camera away from Mark, who gave her an angry look in return. "Zoom in on Maureen, as the diva takes away Mark's camera as he pouts in the corner." She placed the camera back in its bag and with much protest, stowed it away in the corner.

"I was filming, you know," Mark said testily. 

"It was getting annoying. Besides, I don't think Lisa wants a camera shoved in her face right now," Maureen added, brushing a strand of hair off her forehead. 

Lisa's water had broken an hour after she had been checked into the hospital. The doctor had come back frequently, mostly to run some more tests and to check her dilation. The steroid shots to help mature the baby's lungs had been given around 4 PM, when the staff realized that the contractions were not responding to the anti labor drugs. Her temperature had dropped to 100 even, and although Dr. Tyler suspected pneumonia, she informed Mark that she'd rather take X rays after the baby was born. 

Maureen had been playing messenger all day and night, running back and forth to the waiting room where Collins, Dan, Jackie, Roger, and Mimi had taken over. Roger had even copped extra blankets for Mimi from the head nurse and a free exam when she learned Mimi was pregnant. 

"Got any threes?" Dan asked, yawning. Roger shook his head and laughed.

"Nope. Hah! GO FISH!" Mimi was lying in his lap, blanket wrapped around herself and fast asleep. Collins was discussing his actual reality theory animatedly with Jackie, who was listening intently and sipping her coffee until Mark came up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I hate to interrupt, but can I steal Jackie away for a minute?" Mark asked.

"Sure can. I've gotta keep these two idiots from killing each other over a game of go fish anyway," he chuckled.

Mark nodded and wrapped his arm around Jackie's waist, leading her out of the maternity ward and to the elevators.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Jackie asked. Mark nodded and stepped on the elevator and pressed the 4th floor, which lead them to the cafeteria.

"It's fine. I spoke to the doctor before I left and she said that Lisa's about eight centimeters now and could go in an hour or so, so we have a few minutes to ourselves. Hungry?" he asked. The elevator dropped them off at the 4th floor, and Mark led the way down the hallway to the cafeteria. 

"No, not really," Jackie answered. She shoved her hands into her pockets as Mark paid for a coffee for himself and sat down at a table. She followed, taking a seat across from him, but keeping to herself as much as possible.

"You okay?"

"No. My best friend just died and I'm stuck in the hospital again. Do you think I'm okay?" she said quietly. 

"No one's making you stay," Mark answered, a little more anger in his voice than he would have liked.

"I'm leaving for Sydney Thursday night. I can't stay here anymore. I have to go," she said, standing up. 

"Why?" 

"_Because I don't belong here!_" she shouted. "I came here because of Natalie, and now she's gone and I have no reason to stay!"

Mark looked up at her in anger. "How can you say that? You have me, and Roger. Mimi and Collins. You have us."

"No I don't. I can't—I have to go. I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around herself and walked away from him. Mark gaped at her with an open mouth.

The best thing that had ever happened to him had just walked out of his life.

____________________________________

"It hurts Maureen! I can't do this anymore! Where'd Mark go?" Lisa shouted, grabbing onto Maureen's hand.

"I know honey, but you can't push yet, not until—" Maureen was cut off by Dr. Tyler returning, followed by a heavyset nurse. 

"How are you feeling Lisa?" she asked, checking her progress quickly as Maureen handed her a few more ice chips to chew on. 

"Like hell. I'm never having kids again," she added in seriousness. "It's too soon, but I want it out already!"

"Well, we have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?"

"The good," Lisa stated, leaning over slightly so Maureen could rub her back. 

"The good news is that you're about ten centimeters dilated right now, so as soon as I finish we're going to prep you and take you to the delivery room down the hall. The bad news is that the baby's lungs are still underdeveloped, so it will have to be placed on a ventilator until it can breathe on its own, which varies with each preemie. I'll be leaving the insurance forms with your brother, and by law, we have to contact your parents since you're underage---"

"But I'm living with my brother, and I don't want them here!" Lisa shouted, trying to argue and breathe through another contraction at the same time. 

"I'm sorry, but it's hospital policy. If you were 18, it would be a different story. Ready to go?" 

Lisa sighed and nodded, as Maureen helped her switch from the bed to the gurney. "I'm scared. Where's Mark, he has to go with me."

"He'll be there, sweetie, okay? Let me go find him." Maureen smiled and let go of Lisa's hand as she was wheeled out of the room and down the hall. Maureen spotted Mark coming off the elevator and grabbed his elbow as soon as she reached him.

"Jesus Maureen, get off."

"Lisa's in the delivery room right now and she's asking for you. Bad news is, they're calling your parents."

"Fuck. Can they do that?" he asked, rushing down the hall with her.

"Apparently it's hospital policy. Where's Jackie?" she asked, handing a protective gown and gloves to Mark as she struggled into her own. 

"We got into a fight—tie that for me? She just dropped the bomb that she's leaving for Sydney on Thursday," Mark added, struggling with the gloves as well.

"That's unbelievable. Did you go after her?"

"No."

"MARK!"

"I'm not leaving Lisa here alone. "You coming?"

"In a minute. Let me go tell everyone else what's going on." Maureen and Mark separated. Lisa was already prepped and ready to go and was now concentrating on her breathing. Mark took a seat next to her and took her hand in his.

"Hey." 

"It's too early for this. I'm not ready to be a mom yet," Lisa started crying, and Mark sighed and rubbed her back soothingly.

"You have me, okay? You can do this. The sooner you have the baby, the better you'll feel. They'll probably take you to x-ray and put you on antibiotics for the pneumonia. Then you're telling me everything, and don't look at me like that, because if I'm paying for your medical bills I have a right to know." Lisa bit her lip and nodded.

"Okay Lisa, are you ready? This is Dr. Stevens and the NICU team. Everything's ready, so as long as you're willing, we can get this over with," Dr. Tyler smiled sympathetically. "I'm going to ask you for three good pushes—"

Maureen barged in, with Roger, Mimi, Collins, and Dan crowded around the glass in the delivery room door.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked dramatically. Mark shot her a look and motioned for her to sit down, and she obliged.

"Seems you have very good friends," Dr. Tyler added, pointing towards the door.

"Yeah, you could say that," Lisa groaned.

"Okay, now give me one good push on the count of three. One—two—and three!"

Lisa pushed, Maureen perched herself on her seat eagerly, and Mark's face contorted in pain, due largely to the fact that Lisa was crushing about three bones in his hand. Four pushes later, the nurses were standing by with a baby warmer, and Dr. Tyler was urging Lisa on for a final push.

"Just one more Lisa. Come on, you can do it," Maureen urged on as Lisa pushed a final time.

"There. It's a boy! Born at 8:03 PM on February 26th, 1997," Dr. Tyler smiled as she walked the baby over to the incubator. The nurses were frantically trying to clean the baby off as the NICU team attempted to get the baby to cry.

"He's beautiful honey," Maureen said, squeezing Lisa's hand.

"Mark it's not crying. The baby's not crying," Lisa whispered, trying to sit up to see. 

"Just give it a minute," Mark said, kissing her forehead. "You did great." A few seconds later, a short-lived cry broke out in the delivery room.

"He's looking pretty good right now Lisa. He weighed in at 3 pounds, two ounces, and sixteen inches long. Dr. Stevens is hooking him up to the ventilator right now. We'll be sending off some preliminary labs on him, and once we get those back, we'll give you a heads up on how everything looks. Until then, we'll wait until you pass the placenta, stitch, and clean you up before I send you down to x-ray to take a look at your chest. We'll probably keep you here for a few days for observation and then send you home with some antibiotics and vitamins."

"How long will my baby have to stay here?" Lisa asked, lying back against the pillow.

"We won't know until after we get the test results back, but as soon as I find out I'll let you know. You did great today."

"Thank you. Go tell everyone you guys. I'll be fine," Lisa nodded.

"You want to do the honors Marky? She's your sister," Maureen asked.

"Sure…hey guys, it's a boy!"

__________________________________

Rich daddy left you with a parachute 

_Your voice sounds like money and your face is cute_

_But your daddy left you with no love_

_You touch everything with a velvet glove_

_Now you want to try a life of sin_

You want to be down with the down and in … 

Jackie paced furiously around her apartment; every so often taking out another article of clothing and putting it into the three suitcases she had sprawled out over her bed. She had money, credit cards, her cell phone, and just about everything she could possibly need to get out of the country on Thursday. All she needed to do know was make the initial phone call to let everyone know she was coming home.

She glanced at the clock. 10 PM. It was early afternoon in Australia, and if she called know she'd have a good chance of getting a hold of someone. She stretched out onto her bed and dialed a phone number she knew by heart and waited for it to connect.

"Hello?" 

Jackie smiled when she heard her friend's voice come over the line. "Hi Shawn."

"Jackie?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"How are you? Are you still in New York?"

"Sure am. I'm decent, I guess. Just been dancing my heart out lately."

"That's great to hear. So what brings you to think of me?"

Jackie laughed at the sarcasm in his voice. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm coming home on Thursday. I'll probably be in Sydney early Friday morning."

"That's great! You need a place to stay, right? My whole house just got remolded. You have to stay here—no I'm forcing you to stay here."

"Okay, okay. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"And a lot of waves to surf, right?" he added.

"Of course."

"Any particular reason you're coming home? I thought it was the middle of the dance season right now."

"I'll um, tell you when I get there. If it's not too much to ask, my flight's coming in from Los Angeles at 6:10 AM Friday morning your time at the airport."

"Got it. I hate to cut this short, but I promised the guys that I'd head out for some late afternoon surfing. I'll see you soon? Just wait until I tell your sister about this."

"She'll probably be more excited than you are. I'll see you Friday."

She hung up the phone and started pulling shoes out of her closet, stuffing them in the last suitcase. She was completely packed forty-five minutes later, and decided that the only thing she needed right now was sleep.

She didn't know how she was going to make it through Natalie's funeral tomorrow without Mark there beside her.

_________________________

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27

9 AM

Mark yawned and walked into the kitchen, adjusting the tie on his suit. "I hate these things," he said to Maureen, who was cooking breakfast for the second day in a row.

"Here. Let me," she said, adjusting the tie for him. "Better?"

"Much. I really shouldn't have let Jackie walk out like that yesterday. She looked pretty upset." Mark slumped over the counter and eyed his coffee before taking a sip of it.

"I know, which is why you need to convince her NOT to go to Australia, because then we'd have to put up with mopey, pouty Mark Cohen until she comes back," she teased, placing a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. "How was Lisa last night when you left?"

"She was actually pretty good. She was still running a high temperature, but they diagnosed her with pneumonia after the x-rays came back and started her on antibiotics. She has her own private room now, and they say she might be able to come home sometime Friday."

"Poor thing. What about the baby?"

"He's healthy for a preemie. Still on the ventilator, but the doctors are going to keep him until he gains at least an even six pounds, so we're probably looking at him being in NICU for a good two months. They said if they're convinced enough, he could come off the ventilator by the weekend."

"What about your parents? Did they come yet?" Maureen asked, sipping orange juice out of a glass.

"My mom and dad showed up at about midnight last night. They talked to Lisa on the phone, since the nurse insisted that she didn't need any other visitors. They're staying in a hotel in downtown Manhattan. They'll probably show up here eventually, but I told them to at least call so we know they're coming unlike last time," he said.

"You know what I just realized?"

"What?"

"Lisa barely has anything for the baby besides what she left here before. I think we should throw her a baby shower sometime next week. This way she'll have enough things for the baby when she gets to bring him home. It'll be so much fun. We can throw a painting party—and—"

"Whoa Mo, slow down. You do realize you'll be in California next week, right?"

"Oh yea." Maureen's face dropped, and she sighed. "I still have to finish packing."

"Yeah. Listen, I've got to get out of here if I want to make the funeral on time and see Jackie," he said, standing up and straightening his tie a final time.

"And the plan is…?"

"To not let her go to Australia," Mark finished obediently.

"Good boy. Then later we're telling Roger and Mimi about their surprise, right?'

"Right, after the funeral's over and I see Lisa in the hospital, so probably sometime tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess."

_________________________________________

I think I've already lost you 

_I think you're already gone_

_I think I'm finally scared now_

_You think I'm weak, but I think you're wrong_

_I think you're already leaving_

_Feels like your hand is on the door…_

_If you're gone, maybe it's time to go home?_

_There's an awful lot of breathing room_

But I can hardly move 

_If you're gone, baby you need to come home_

_Cuz there's a little bit of something me_

_In everything you_

"It was a beautiful service Jackie."

"Thank you." Jackie smiled politely and hugged Natalie's mother gently before walking into the cemetery. She sighed and brushed a piece of her hair off her shoulder before continuing up the steep hill. Harvey was standing at the top, kneeling near the grave, his crutches propped up against the chairs that had been abandoned. 

"Hi," she whispered, kneeling down next to him.

"Jac," he acknowledged, trying to bring himself to his feet. "She's really gone, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She is," Jackie said, wrapping her arm around his waist. 

"Where's Mark?"

"I don't know. We got into a fight when I told him I was moving leaving for Sydney. He's not coming," she said, handing him his crutches. Together they walked up and down the rows of graves, their feet crunching in the partially melted snow. "His sister just had a baby born three months early."

"Oh. They couldn't bury her next to April," Harvey added sadly.

"I know how much you wanted her to be."

"They might be able to after the ground thaws some more, but they said that spot under the tree was too frozen. The continued up and few rows, finally stopping by a leafless oak tree with a tombstone underneath it. 

April Victoria Spataro 

_April 17th, 1973 – May 2nd, 1995_

_"Now you belong to heaven_

_and the stars spell out your name."_

"Has he ever been here?" Harvey asked, wiping at his eyes. Jackie shrugged, the February wind blowing through her hair.

"I don't know. I never asked," Jackie answered. "I didn't know you recognized him that day."

"I did. I wish I hadn't. I want to hate him, but I can't, because I know April was just as responsible for her death as he was."

"I know, but sometimes you can't save people, no matter how hard you try," Jackie whispered, bending down to clean off the snow at the base of the tombstone.

"That's true. Can I get a minute alone?"

"Of course," Jackie nodded. She turned and started her way back to Natalie's grave, figuring that this might be the only opportunity to pay her respects before she left.

Natalia Lynn Murphy 

_November 10th, 1971- February 26th, 1997 _

_"Forever dancing in our hearts."_

"Jackie?"

Jackie turned around and looked back to find Mark standing behind her, a somber look on his face.

"Hi Mark," she replied, turning back to Natalie's gravestone.

"I'm sorry—I didn't want to bother you, I mean, I went to the funeral, but I was in the back. I didn't want you to think I didn't come," he added quickly.

"I see." Jackie bit her lips and tried to keep the tears from falling, but didn't succeed very well. The next thing she knew, Mark's arms were around her and she was practically inhaling him.

"She's really gone. I thought it was all a dream," Jackie whispered into his jacket. Mark rubbed his arms up and down her back.

"I know…" They stood there for a few minutes, and Jackie noticed Harvey standing behind them. She pulled away and cleared her throat, still clutching onto Mark's hand. 

"Go home you two. I'll be fine," he said, motioning for them to leave.

"Thank you," Jackie said. "I'll be at your place around 2 to take you to the airport, okay?"

"That sounds fine. I'll see you then," he added, kissing her on the cheek. "See you Mark."

"Yeah, bye Harvey."

__________________________________________

"Soup or the sub?"

"Soup. At least it looks edible," Lisa said, making a face. She coughed a little before he handed it to her. She was sitting up in bed, and although there were bags under her eyes and she still looked a little pale, the doctors said she was making a full, yet lucky recovery. Dr. Tyler had warned her that if she hadn't gotten to the hospital any sooner, the pneumonia could have endangered the baby's life.

"Brat," Mark laughed. Lisa cheerily gave him the finger. "Ouch, someone's feeling better. I see Mom and Dad took off."

"Mom wanted to go to the NICU nursery and then Dad decided he was taking her out to lunch. You know, somewhere where they make real food," she laughed.

"Figures. How'd they treat you this morning? Sorry I couldn't be there."

"It's fine. They were decent, I guess. They have a lot of questions, just like you, but I made up some bullshit cover story and they seemed to buy it for the time being. Mom keeps asking me what I want to name the baby."

"So what are you thinking of?" Mark asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I really like Noah Andrew. What do you think?" she asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I like it. Noah Andrew Cohen. Did they give you the birth certificate forms yet?" 

"Yup. I have them right here. I just have to fill out everything, and then they'll give me a permanent copy. Noah Andrew. I like it," she smiled, filling out the birth certificate paper.

"Did Mom and Dad grill you about staying with me again?"

"Kind of. I don't think they mind as much, seeing as I'm turning 18 in April and I'll be an adult then. Cindy gave them a bunch of baby clothes that Jake had when he was little, and I still have the crib, but I'm eventually going to need to go on a huge shopping spree."

"I figured they'd drag you back to Scarsdale," Mark yawned.

"You should be so lucky, but no. They tried, I refused, end of story. I have to drive back up to Scarsdale sometime soon to return my books and my cheerleading uniform. Besides, I'll be able to pack up my room and bring the rest of my clothes down here. Maybe we could go up there next weekend or something, if I feel up to it," Lisa added, taking a sip of the water that sat on her table. 

"Are you going to finish high school?"

"Eventually, probably. I already finished the first semester, so I'm really only short of a few credits, since I've had extra classes since freshman year. I'll probably look around the city and see if there's someplace decent where I can take classes, probably before Noah comes home. Then I'll just finish up whatever I have left on the weekends I guess…"

"Collins could help you find a place. You actually might be able to get into the NYU summer program for college, because he's still on good terms with the guy that runs it."

"Yeah, I'll see. I just want to make sure Noah comes home and he's healthy before I make any long term commitments."

"You still owe me a story," Mark said. "I'm holding you to it."

"I know, soon, I promise."

"Lisa?" A heavyset brunette nurse entered the room, pushing a wheelchair with her. "If you're feeling up to it, I can take you down to NICU right now to see your baby. Did you decide on a name for him yet?" 

Lisa lifted herself off the bed with Mark's help and walked over to the wheelchair, smiling. "Yeah. Noah Andrew."

_______________________________

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 27

2:30 PM

_The guy who put his hands on you_

_Has got nothing to do with me_

_And the bruises that you feel will heal_

_And I hope you'll come around_

_Because we're missing you_

Jackie checked her purse for her passport, flight information, ticket, and identification a final time before placing it near the suitcases of luggage posed by her apartment door. Harvey had left for California last night, and was expected to return to the city sometime in April. Jackie on the other hand, wasn't sure if she was coming back—at all.

Jackie heard a knock on her door and opened it, expecting to see Mark standing in front of her. Instead it was the cab driver, waiting to take her luggage to the car.

"How many?" he asked, loudly chewing on a piece of gum.

"3."

"Where to again?"

"Newark International Airport, international departure terminal," Jackie added, rolling her eyes. She glanced around her apartment, making sure that all the lights were off a final time before grabbing her purse from the couch and locking the door behind her. 

"Where ya going? Outta country?"

Jackie stared at him for a second, trying not to laugh. International did mean out of the country last time she checked.

"Yeah, um, Australia."

An hour later, Jackie had paid the cab driver and checked her bags at the curbside. She ventured inside, only to be greeted by an infinitely long security line. 

"Where are you going?"

"Sydney, yourself?" Jackie responded, placing her apartment keys in her purse.

"Melbourne. Small world, huh?" the girl laughed, pushing her dark hair over her shoulder. "For vacation?"

"No, actually I'm going to visit my family and friends. I was born there, and came to the city to dance."

"Huh. That sounds fun. I'm going to visit my boyfriend."

"That must be one hell of a long distance relationship," Jackie laughed. "What's your name?"

"Alyssa, yours?"

"Jackie."

"Yeah, it is a pretty hard relationship, but we're actually getting married while I'm down there, and I'm in the process of moving down there after he moved back last year."

"Oh, congratulations." Jackie watched through the metal detector and retrieved her purse from the scanner as Alyssa walked through behind her.

"Thanks. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I don't really know anymore. I did."

Jackie and Alyssa walked to the same waiting area, considering their flights were only a gate away from each other. They talked for the next hour and a half, and then Alyssa's flight was called for boarding.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," she said, gathering her carry on bag.

"You too. Have fun in Melbourne," Jackie smiled. Alyssa nodded and made her way to the boarding checkpoint, and Jackie started flipping through the latest copy of Cosmo she had stuck in her bag. Before she knew it, Alyssa's flight had taken off, and at 5 PM her flight was being called for boarding.

"_Attention all passengers for American Airlines Flight 1001, service to Los Angeles, California, with continued service to Sydney, Australia. Now boarding first class, rows one through eight. And our passengers with small children. Please have your boarding passes out and ready to be scanned for an early departure. Thank you."_

And you used to speak so easy 

_Now you're afraid to talk to me_

"Jackie! Wait!"

I wanna kiss you 

_And to_

Jackie's head shot up, and she saw Mark running towards her. "You can't go."

"I think I need to get away from here for awhile," she answered.

"No, you don't."

"I'll be back soon, I promise. Here—this is the number of my friend Shawn's house down there. Call me whenever you need to, and you have my cell number too…"

"What about us—this?"

"This has nothing to do with you. There's nobody I want to be with more right now then you, but I've gotta get away." 

Mark sighed and kissed her before letting her go. "You're coming back, right? Soon?"

" I'll call you when I get in." Jackie waved slightly and continued towards the gate. 

_______________________________________

"Ladies and gentleman, please fasten your seatbelts for takeoff…"

_Then you walk on, baby, walk on, you walk on…_

[A/N: Try not to hate me too much! Jackie will be back soon, I promise! 33]

When we met light was shed 

_Thoughts free flow, you said you've got something_

_Deep inside of you_


	18. 18

Chapter 18

Hey guys, here's a few answers to your reviews:

Kelby asked: Is there going to be some kind of Harvey/Roger thing?

Yes, there definitely is. Eventually in the future there will be some kind of confrontation, so look out for that in the upcoming chapters! I absolutely loved 3EB too. 33

EMI asked: What's going to happen with Lisa and Benny?

All I can say for now is, you'll have to wait and see. Evil, I know. ;) I can tell you that they'll be hanging around each other A LOT more now that Lisa's back in the city…

Seriously, if you guys have any questions you want to know about, direct them my way and I'll probably end up giving you a few teasers. 33 Keep reviewing, it makes my day.

______________________________

"That movie sucked."

"Oh come on, _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ is a classic! How can you say it sucked?" Maureen whined as she pressed rewind on the VCR.

"It still sucked." Mark stood up and looked out the loft window and sighed. Jackie was half way to California right now, and he hated every minute they were apart. So far it had only been three hours.

"How much longer do I have to wear this?" Dan asked. He was sitting at the kitchen table with Collins, who was grading a large stack of papers. 

"Just long enough until they get here. There's nothing wrong with the top!" Maureen huffed, smoothing down the crease in her sundress.

"At least she didn't make you wear a dress," Mark added, tugging at the collar of his own printed shirt. 

"Well, we've put off the surprise for long enough, so hmph."

"She's got a point there Mark. Just wear the shirt to please her," Collins chuckled.

"Thank you." Maureen ran over to the loft window beside Mark. "Okay, they're coming! Banner?"

Collins pointed up to the large banner and sighed. "Check."

"Fake palm tree?"

"Uh, check."

"Pineapples?"

"Yep."

"Coconuts and rum punch?"

"Yes Maureen…"

"Everyone know what they're supposed to do?"

"Unfortunately yes," Dan grumbled. Maureen shot him a look.

"Hey, that's enough from you mister! Okay, places!" Maureen ran over to the stereo and qued the music and took her place by the door.

Hawaii USA 

_We're flyin', comin' your way_

Mark took one listen to the music and started laughing, until Collins elbowed him in the side. "Sorry."

It's great to be in the fifthieth state 

_The land of enchanted dreams_

_What an isle, where it's heaven tropical style_

_Where love weaves a spell, it seems_

"Uh babe? Do you hear that?" Roger asked, as he walked down the hall hand in hand with Mimi.

"Yeah, what the hell is that? That's not coming from the loft is it?" she asked, trying to listen in closely. "I can't really make out the words."

"Neither can I." Roger opened the loft door, but before he could even drag Mimi in along with him, Maureen appeared from behind the door.

"SURPRISE!" she screamed. Collins and Dan automatically started horribly imitating Hawaiian hula dancers, complete with bikini tops and grass skirts. Maureen had thrown fake leis around Roger's and Mimi's necks, and Mark was just surveying the scene, filming and shaking his head back and forth and laughing.

"Aloha…oe…" Dan croaked, trying to keep the words straight and trying not to laugh at the same time. Mimi was doubled over in laughter, and even Roger had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. 

"What fun! Just to swim in the surf and the sun, while the trade winds caress the sea. What a sight, those exotic scenes of delight, are waiting for you and meeeeeeee!" Collins and Dan bellowed out, doing a little twirl and ending up on their knees.

"I…wow, I just don't know what to say," Roger laughed. "That was kind of, scary?"

"But creative!" Mimi giggled, dancing with Collins. 

"What's going on guys?" Roger asked, taking a seat on the couch next to Mark. 

"Ahem, you and Mimi have just won yourselves an all expenses paid trip to Honolulu, Hawaii from March 17th to the 27th!" Maureen squealed.

Roger blankly stared at her. "You're kidding, right? What do you mean, won?"

"Well, what she means is, we all pretty much chipped in and took care of everything for you. Airfare, the hotel, and enough spending money to get by for the week," Collins chimed in, taking off his bikini top and replacing it with a regular tshirt.

"Yeah, we all think that you both need some time away from us—and alone, before the baby gets here," Mark added. 

"Wow—this is really great you guys," Roger said. Mimi nodded and sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," Mimi said cheerily. "You hear that baby? We're going away!" she laughed.

"Thanks you guys. Seriously. We don't know how we're going to repay you," Roger added.

"Don't think about repaying us. Just have a good time and bring us cheap souvenirs," Dan winked.

"And free beer," Mark added.

"And skintight leather pants!" Maureen winked. Roger just stared at her and shook his head.

"I don't think they sell that in Hawaii, Mo," he laughed.

"Roger baby, you gonna tell them your news?" Mimi asked, kissing the top of his head. Roger grinned and nodded, heading into the kitchen. 

"What news?" Mark shouted after him. Roger pulled out a six pack of beer and brought it back with him to the living room and placed it on the table.

"Wes' uncle got us a gig next Friday night," he said, handing beers to Mark and Maureen.

"Wow sweetie, that's great!" Maureen said, taking a swig of her beer. "What time?"

"Around 11. We're playing some covers, but then we're playing our own material too. We even have an opening band. I don't know much about it, but it's some girl named Lauren," he added.

"Sounds fun. Count us in," Mark said. His sarcasm went undetected, and so did his disappearance into his room. Roger finally noticed about five minutes later.

"Uh, where'd Mark go?"

"I think he went to lie down. He's really bummed out about Jackie leaving," Maureen replied sympathetically. 

"Wouldn't you be?" he asked, coming back out from his room to resume his position on the couch. "I just went to put my camera away."

"Oh. Okay." Roger stood up and dug around in his pocket for something. "It looks like next weekend is turning into a Scarsdale weekend for me. I have to help Lindsey move into her new apartment, and somewhere in there I'll probably get conned into having dinner with the family."

"Tell me about it. Lisa needs to go back to move more of her stuff here and return her books and…get this, cheerleading uniform," Mark grinned. "Maybe you should tell your girlfriend how much of a pimp you were in high school."

Roger laughed and Mimi just gave him a look. "Yeah, maybe you should tell me."

"He was a typical jock—football of course, and he was on the cheerleaders like—" Maureen clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Okay honey, we don't need any perverted exclamations coming out of your mouth. Thinking about Roger as a football player does enough damage," she laughed.

"Yeah, Roger and football definitely do not belong in the same sentence," Collins chuckled. 

"I wasn't that bad," Roger said, defending himself. "Oh come on, they were pretty hot. I wonder what your sister looked like in her uniform."

Mark glared at him and laughed. "Hey, don't you even go thinking about my sister in a uniform!"

"I'll think about your sister anytime I want," he winked. 

"Okay children, that's enough," Maureen yawned. 

"But anyway, Roger used to date this really hot cheerleader named Jennifer Campana. Dude, you don't even want to ask," Mark laughed. "That was probably some of the best sex of his life right there."

Roger, Collins, and Dan were cracking up at this point. "Oh yeah, and he'd constantly try to look up her skirt everytime she bent over doing one of her cheers. It was classic."

"Yeah, like you didn't," Roger laughed, shoving him in the shoulder playfully. "Face it Mark, you wanted her as much as I did."

Mimi stood up and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. The water was turned on seconds later, as Maureen placed her hands on her hips and glared at them all.

"Good job dumb fucks," she whispered loudly. "You just upset her." 

"What? Oh shit…" Roger trailed off. 

"Yeah, exactly. Don't you know the rules? Don't talk about how "hot" other girls are in front of your girlfriend, especially your **pregnant**, emotionally charged, girlfriend. Don't tell your girlfriend about how "hot" your sex life was with that ex girlfriend. Don't you guys know anything? You better go talk to her Roger, or you won't be getting much of anything until you do so."

"Yeah, I guess I better," he said, putting his beer down on the table and walking towards the bathroom door.

_________________________________

Mimi ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get the remains of the strawberry shampoo out. Her eyes started watering, and she wiped at them furiously with the back of her hand. She hated crying, especially crying over stupid, inane comments that her boyfriend made about other girls. She knew Roger would never leave her…right?

Running the loofah over her body almost mechanically, she heard the bathroom door open and shut.

"So much for knocking, Roger," she called out, shutting off the water.

"Mimi? I'm sorry."

She sighed and pulled back the shower curtain, poking her head out. "Hand me that towel please?" He did, and she wrapped it around her body before stepping completely out. 

"You could've just gotten it yourself," he joked. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

"Yeah, well I'm fat anyway." She walked over to the sink and ran her brush through her hair, before wrapping it up in another towel. Roger stood up and sighed, kissing her neck.

"You're not fat. You're beautiful."

"Don't piss me off more than I already am," she argued, taking her robe off the back of the door and putting it on before pulling out her towel from underneath it.

"I'm not apologizing for saying you're beautiful, because you are. You're not fat, you're pregnant. There's a difference," he pointed out.

"I'm going to go and lay down. Tell everyone good night for me, and thank you about the trip."

"Are you mad at me babe?"

"No Roger, if it calms your enormous ego, I'm not mad at you. Night," she added, kissing him before walking out of the bathroom.

Roger sighed and walked back out into the living room. He knew she was mad at him, just by the way she kissed him goodnight.

______________________

FRIDAY MORNING

"Did you make up with Mimi yet?"

"Kind of. Not really," Roger sighed. "She's really upset with me."

"I think she'll get over it. I mean, she can't stay mad at you over something like that forever," he joked.

They were in the elevator heading up to the maternity ward. Lisa was being discharged today, and Roger had volunteered to go with him, considering for some reason he had a lot of energy today. He had just about pressed every button in the elevator, and unfortunately for Mark, the ride was taking forever. The two finally stepped off the elevator and made their way down the ward, walking a little more slowly past the regular nursery and the NICU nursery.

"You'll be a great dad. You know that, right?"

"I try to, but I just don't ever want my kid to think I'm some kind of fuck up," he shrugged, staring in at all the newborns. 

"Well, you have a ways to go to get yourself off that path," Mark joked. Mark started walking away, but Roger grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Uh buddy? Who's that guy standing over Lisa's shoulder?" Roger asked. Mark squinted into the room. He smiled when he saw Lisa holding Noah. He had about a million wires hooked up to him, but he looked healthy, and Mark knew that was all that mattered. He'd heard nothing but good reports since Lisa delivered, and knew that she was pretty lucky to have a son through everything that had happened to her—and most of it he _still_ had no idea about.

"Is that Benny?" Mark asked. "What in the hell…?"

"That's fuckin' weird," Roger muttered. He raised his fist to bang on the glass, when Mark pointed at the sign.

"You're not supposed to bang. Let's just go and wait in her room. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation as to why our favorite bastard is standing in the NICU with my underage sister."

"Yeah. Let's do that."

Ten minutes and two recaps of Ricki Lake later, Benny entered the room, wheeling Lisa in with him. Mark and Roger were sprawled out on her hospital bed, discussing the show.

"Hey guys!" Lisa smiled cheerfully. "Noah gained three ounces already."

"That's great," Mark smiled, giving her a hug, then nudging Roger in the ribs.

"Oh yeah. That's really good news. So uh, Benny, what are you doing here?" Roger asked calmly. It didn't take a moron to figure out what was going on between him and Lisa, and he had a pretty good idea. Poor Mark on the other hand, was clueless.

"I called him before," Lisa said testily, noting the tension in the room.

"Yeah, I just came by to bring her flowers and see how she was feeling," Benny defended himself.

"Uh huh. Sure," Roger said under his breath. "Anyway, ready to go?"

"Yeah," Lisa pulled her sweatshirt jacket on, while Roger took the opportunity to talk some sense into Mark.

"You're telling me you don't see it? Benny's trying to get with your sister," Roger whispered. 

Mark shook his head. "I don't think so. I would have known about it."

"No, you wouldn't have. Has she told you where she was for the month that she was gone?"

"Not _exactly_, but I'm not pushing her. She'll tell me when she's ready," he added.

"Either she tells you or I accidentally let something slip. You sit her down tonight and you talk to her," Roger said angrily.

"What to you mean let something slip? You knew something and you didn't tell me?"

"So I'll see you later tonight then?" Lisa asked, standing up to hug Benny.

"Yeah. Around 8? We could just hang out at my place, since you're probably not up to going out," he laughed.

Lisa nodded. "Thank you for the flowers."

"Anytime." Benny left quickly, Roger glaring at him the whole time.

"Okay! And we're leaving now," Mark shouted out, trying to clear some of the tension in the room.

_______________________________________

Mark furiously scribbled at the paper lying in front of him, his eyes edging towards the phone every few minutes. Jackie hadn't called, and although he knew he was as capable of calling as she was, he didn't feel like it was his place to intrude. A light knock sounded at the door, and sighing, he stood up to answer it. Lisa had been at Benny's for the last few hours, Mimi sleeping, and Roger "out". He yawned and opened it, expecting it to be Lisa without her key as usual.

"I'm sorry—I'm sorry Mark. I figured if I went, it would make everything go away, but it didn't! I couldn't leave you. I understand if you hate me, but I…I didn't know what else to do," Jackie whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. She was crying, her mascara running down her cheeks. 

"I don't hate you," Mark said softly. Jackie nodded and walked toward him, resting her forehead on his chest. Mark instinctively wrapped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder, rubbing her back gently. "I understand. I'm glad you came back."

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she whispered, clutching onto the front of his shirt. "I fucking lied to you about needing to go. I hurt you, Mark—"

"No, you didn't," he replied firmly.

"Yes I did. I saw it in your eyes when I left. I'm always doing that, I'm always hurting the people I care about the most. And, oh god, Natalie's really gone. I don't want to dance anymore, not without her. She's not coming back Mark…she's not." Jackie pushed away from him and crumpled to the floor, sobbing and rocking back and forth. Mark slid down with her and pulled her close, and they huddled together, until finally, Mark realized there was nothing left to do but let her cry.

____________________________

SATURDAY MORNING 

2:30 AM

The single heater in Mark's room kicked on, the coils trying to weakly heat the small bedroom. Jackie sat up and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep herself warm. Swinging her legs over the side, she realized that she never changed out of her jeans. Mark was sound asleep, his breathing even and steady. His hand was draped protectively on her side of the bed, and when she had stood up, he sitirred and mumbled a few incoherent phrases before falling back asleep. Jackie tiptoed over to the mirror and pulled her hair back into a loose twist at the back of her neck. She turned from side to side, noting how different she looked in the past few days that Natalie had been gone. Her collarbones were more prominent, her face pale, her lips chapped a little. The bags under her eyes were larger than ever.

What was she doing here? She was relying on Mark too much—Mark, who she knew close to nothing about, yet he knew mostly everything about her.

"But you don't know everything," she whispered out, leaving his bedroom and closing the door behind her. The living room was dark, only illuminated in a few places where the street lights shined in. She heard Mimi's light snores, and Roger's light breathing as she tiptoed by, their door cracked a tiny bit. She knew Roger never slept well, and she often wondered why. Then there was Lisa, Mark's sister, who she didn't know at all, except for the fact that she went into preterm labor and that her story was still untold.

Sighing once again, Jackie made her way onto the rusty balcony, shutting the sliding door behind her. She realized that they probably rarely came out here, considering that there was only a few old beer bottles scattered to the side of an equally dead flowerpot. She glanced down over the railing and noticed how quiet the city was at this time of night, a few horns blaring in the background. There was a part of her that wished she could just float over it all, without having to think, or feel, or _hurt_ anymore. She lifted herself up effortlessly and perched herself on the side of the brick wall, her legs swinging over the edge. Maybe if she could just…?

"What are you doing?" Roger's voice was cold, yet concerned. She jumped—startled, and he reflexively grabbed her arm. "Sorry, I thought you were—I didn't mean to scare you."

Jackie jumped down from the wall and landing back on the patio, brushing herself off. "It's fine. Just needed to clear my head. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. Then I heard you walk by, and I wanted to know what you were up to, so I kind of followed you," he shrugged.

"Yeah…well I guess I better be getting back inside then," she smiled.

"You wanna take a walk?" Roger asked, handing her his leather jacket.

"Sure, but don't you need this? I don't want you getting sick on me," she joked, pulling her arms through the jacket. He shrugged again, and together they walked through the loft and out the door, silently descending the stairs. They walked a good five blocks before either one of them spoke again.

"What made you come back?" he questioned, digging his hand into his jeans. Jackie tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and sighed. She seemed to be doing an awful lot of sighing lately.

"I don't know. I don't think a part of me was ready to go all the way back yet. My parents weren't exactly too thrilled with me coming here. They wanted me to stay and take the scholarship with the Australian Ballet, but Natalie told me about the auditions here, and I felt like I owed it to myself to go."

"Ah, the infamous controlling parents. I used to have a pair of those. Still do, I think, except they've learned that they don't control shit when it comes to me anymore," he grinned.

"How so?" she asked.

"You want to know the full or shortened version?"

"Well how much time do we have?" Jackie laughed, walking a little closer to him to avoid the snow drifts that were still piled up on the sidewalks.

"I want to take you somewhere, but we have enough time," he answered, playfully pushing her towards the snowdrift. 

"Hey!" she shouted, grabbing a handful of snow and flinging it at the back of his head. Roger turned around in mock horror and tried to fix his hair.

"Like, oh my god, my hair's messed up!" 

"I don't sound like that," she protested. "I don't think I know anyone that does. Okay, pretty boy, continue."

"Anyway, Mark and I grew up together—best friends since middle school and all. Once we got up to Scarsdale High, things changed a little. Mark was completely into the artsy aspect of high school—photography, fiming, you know. I started off the typical jock, but that only lasted up until junior year, and by senior year I was starting to get into drugs—pot and coke, mostly. My mom found a bag of coke in my sock drawer the day before graduation and she flipped. Actually my dad flipped more than she did. They kicked me out the day after, and for the rest of the summer I crashed at Mark's place—his mom practically viewed me as 'the son she never had'," he laughed, trying to mimic Mrs. Cohen. "Mark was headed to Brown University in the fall, and I followed. We ended up buying that shit hole dump back there and we've been here ever since."

"You've never gone back?" Jackie asked, her breath making clouds in the air.

"Just a few times. Sometimes I'd drive halfway and turn back, other times I'd end up making it there and drive by. It's hard, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

Roger stopped in front of Wes' uncle's club and dug around in his pocket for the key. "Don't tell him I was here. I could get my ass kicked for this," he laughed.

"Really?"

"I don't know. Probably," he grinned, holding the door open for her. He flicked the dim lights on and made his way over to the stage, where a spare Fender guitar sat hooked up to an amp, a piano and drum set in the background.

"It's nice," she voiced, following him onto the stage. He picked up the Fender and started tuning it, while Jackie grabbed a bunch of lyrics and sat down at the edge of the stage a few feet away from him.

"Yeah, it is. We don't use the piano at all, except for when people have gigs that need it, but pretty much everything else is property of _The Well Hungarians_.

Jackie flipped through a bunch of lyrics, many crossed out furiously, many not finished and barely pieced together. She landed on a few at the bottom, and the one that looked of a decent length she handed to him. "I didn't know you write songs."

"I didn't think I could, until I met Mimi. I wrote this one for her. It's a long story, but she was pretty sick and she almost died and I sang it to her and everything. I know she's pretty upset with me right now, because I'm not around as much as I used to, so I was thinking of maybe doing something really special for her soon," he finished, strumming out the first few chords of the song.

"I think she'd like that," Jackie smiled, stealing the paper away from him and walking over to the piano. "You don't need them, do you?"

"No, I know it by heart, why?" he asked curiously, watching her as she took a seat at the piano. "What are you, multitalented?"

"Something like that," she joked, running her fingers along the piano keys. "Well start."

"Start what?" 

"Playing. Isn't that what musicians do?" she teased.

Roger nodded and started playing, but without the words. Jackie knew something must have been holding him back from singing it, so in turn, she started.

Your eyes 

_As we said our goodbyes_

Roger looked over, watching her fingers run over the keyes effortlessly.

"You turn," she laughed.

Roger shrugged and started playing, Jackie accompaniying him on the piano.

Can't get them out of my mind 

_And I find _

_I can't hide_

"From your eyes, the ones that took me by surprise…" Jackie sang softly, her hair falling in front of her face

"The night you came into my life, where there's moolight I see your eyes…"

Roger took over then, his voice covering Jackie's own. She still continued playing on the piano, but had stopped singing.

How'd I let you slip away? 

_When I'm longing so, to hold you_

_Now I'd die for one more day_

_Because there's something_

_ I should have told you_

Jackie tucked her hair behind her ears again and continued, half humming, half singing along with him.

"Yes there's something I should have told you…" she whispered. She noticed how Roger was so into the song that he had his eyes closed, and a smile had formed on his face.

When I looked into your eyes 

_Why does distance make us wise?_

_You were the song all along_

_And before this song dies_

Roger strummed out a few more chords. "I should tell you, I should tell you…"

I have always loved you 

_You can see it in my eyes…_

Jackie smiled as Roger sat there, playing with his guitar strings. She hadn't played in such a long time that she figured she might as well have some fun with it.

Saturday night and you're hangin' around 

_Tired of livin' in your one horse town_

_Like to find a little hole in the ground_

"For awhile…"Roger chimed in, walking over and sitting next to her.

"You know this one?" she laughed. Roger nodded.

"Billy Joel, Captain Jack. My mom loves him," he added.

Captain Jack will get you high tonight 

_And take you to that special island_

_Captain Jack will get you by tonight_

_Just a little push and you'll be smilin'_

Jackie shoved him playfully and continued playing. "Your sister's gone out, she's on a date…"

"You just sit at home and masturbate…" Roger laughed.

"Yeah, you know you do," Jackie added in.

"That's what I have Mimi for," Roger teased, trying to make the words he just said to the tune of the song like Jackie had.

They continued playing, skipping from random tune to tune, and when they had reached Madonna's "Like a Virgin", they were dancing around like five year olds.

"Like a virgin! Feels so good inside," Roger cracked up, girlishly.

"I'm sure it does," Jackie laughed, squinting at her watch. "Whoa, it's almost 5 AM!"

"Jesus, we've been out here forever! My ass is so dead tomorrow night," he said, running around to pick up the lyrics he had left there the night before. He shoved the spare copy of "Your Eyes" into his pocket. "Feel better?"

"Much," she said, handing him his jacket.

"Good. That was kind of the idea. If Mark asks, tell him we were having hot sex on the corner."

"You've got a large ego, Davis," Jackie laughed, stepping out onto the street while he locked up.

"But seriously, he really cares about you. From what I hear, the sex is great," Roger teased, shutting the door behind him.

"What? Who told you that?"

"Thin walls, for one."

______________________________________


	19. 19

ONE WEEK—19

A/N:

Thanks go to _Eponine54, Kelby, and elodie_ for reviewing the last chapter. 33

Elodie: I don't know why I thought Mark went to Brown University. Perhaps because I've read it other places, or on the net somewhere. Thank you for pointing that out. ;)

________________________________

THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY

MARCH 7

AFTERNOON OF ROGER'S GIG

I begin to feel cold  
my hands are shaking from fear,  
white from clutching my pride,  
red from cutting you,  
and blue from telling lies

Jackie's sneakers pounded the pavement as she ran through the East Village. Had it been one mile, or two? She couldn't remember as she jogged up the building stairs and dug the key out from under the mat. Mark was at work, Mimi downstairs with Collins, and Roger working in his room. Entering the loft, she kicked off her sneakers and pulled off her sweatshirt, making her way into the kitchen. She'd be back in work on Monday, so she figured she might as well enjoy the quiet time she had to herself, which wasn't much, considering everyone came and went when they pleased.

She had just fixed herself a salad and was about to sit down at the table to eat it when the lights dimmed and the heater on the wall started buzzing. She thought nothing of it and took a bite of her salad, when the lights completely went out and the heater shut off and made a loud popping noise, a cloud of smoke erupting from it.

Roger poked his head out and cursed loudly. "What the fuck was that?"

Jackie stood up and walked over to the heater, pointing at it. "I think it's dead."

"This is just fucking wonderful. A real fucking picnic," he yelled. The lights came back on, and Roger went around opening the windows, trying to get the smoke out of the apartment. Jackie shivered as the wind whipped through the living room, grabbing her sweatshirt from the couch and putting it on. 

"So what do we do now? This place is freezing even with the heater working," she protested. Roger ran back in his room and brought out two pairs of sweatpants and an extra blanket. He handed her the sweatpants and took the other pair and threw it on over his jeans before wrapping the blanket around his shoulders.

"I have enough for Mimi and Mark. Lisa too, when she gets back from the hospital with _Benny_,"  he smirked.

Jackie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Somebody's jealous."

"No, he's just an asshole," Roger smirked, plopping himself down on the couch. 

"We're doing nothing about the lack of heat? Do you have a brain in there?"

"Well, yes and no. Can't do anything until we get money, which we're sorely lacking. Until then, we'll just wear about fifteen layers and pray."

"Roger Davis, pray?"

"It was just a phrase…"

At that very moment, Mark strolled into the apartment, loosening his tie in one hand and placing a bunch of papers on the coffee table. "Holy shit it's cold in here. Roger, is that thing on?"

"No."

"What do you mean no? You're gonna get sick!" Mark argued with him. 

"It exploded," Jackie laughed, rushing up to give Mark a kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I guess somebody's mood improved, huh?" he teased, struggling with his tie. "Can you get that off for me?"

"Sure." Jackie unknotted the tie with ease and handed it back to him while Roger made kissing noises from the couch.

"Sickos," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"At least we wait until we get into the bedroom to have sex and not do it halfway on the couch like you do," Jackie said, as Mark blushed.

"Sorry, I do it when it's-- yeah—you know what! Mimi likes it, okay?" 

"Mimi likes what?" Mimi asked, closing the apartment door behind her. "Jesus Christ it's cold in here," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. She walked over to Roger and stole the blanket from him before curling up in his lap.

"How do you feel?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"Better. Second trimester starts today," she beamed, winking at Roger. "Guess what that means?"

"Uhhh…less puking and less complaining?" Roger asked.

"Baby I don't complain. Do I complain Mark?" she asked, pouting a little bit.

"I'm staying out of this," Mark laughed. Jackie was standing in front of him and he had his arms wrapped around her and resting on her stomach.

"So what does that mean?" Roger asked again, winking suggestively. "Yeah I knew it! You ready for some competition next door Cohen?"

"We aren't competing," Mark said in a final tone.

"And we're changing the subject. So why is it so cold in here?" Mimi asked again.

"The heater's busted," Roger answered for her.

"Great. So what are we going to do now?"

"I guess we're going to need to buy a new heater," Mark said. "Maybe we could find a cheap one or something."

"I'll pay for it," Jackie suggested. "I mean, considering I live here and all."

"No," Mimi added. "We'll all chip in. I got my final paycheck from the club today. $500."

"Yeah, but you need that for the baby," Jackie said. 

"Look, why don't we just go tomorrow?" Mark said. Roger turned and looked at him with 'duh' written all over his face.

"Tomorrow we're going to Scarsdale, or did you forget already?"

"Oh yeah. Shit. So maybe we could get one there and just bring it back with us. This way we'll only have to spend a night up here in the cold. Maybe we could all huddle together or something."

"Yeah, that could work. What time are we leaving tomorrow?" Mimi asked.

"Around 8. Gotta beat the weekend traffic on the parkway," Roger answered.

"Whose house are we going to first?" Jackie chimed in, still resting against Mark.

"Yours," Mark and Roger answered at the same time.

"Well, we're going to have to go to both of them anyway. I told Christina I'm taking off Monday," Mark added. "She said it was fine that you took off Monday too."

"Okay," Jackie smiled.

Roger shrugged. "No offense or anything, and it's not like I'm thrilled to be going back to my house, but I don't think I can handle your mother screeching in my ear that early," Roger laughed.

"My mom isn't that bad," Mark grinned.

"Yes she is," Lisa chimed in, taking of her coat and shutting the door. "My god, it's cold—"

"WE KNOW!" Everyone shouted together.

"Sorry, should I ask what happened?"

"For the last time, the heater is broken," Roger said finally, hoping that no one else would come in and ask the same question.

"So what about mom?" Lisa questioned, her hair falling across her shoulders.

"We're just talking about tomorrow. We're going to Roger's house first, then getting his sister to help her move into her apartment. After that we're probably going to have dinner with them. Sunday we'll head over to mom's, do the whole meet and greet deal, probably get conned into going to temple, then have a good Cohen family dinner, complete with Aunt Fran's motzah ball soup," Mark finished.

Mimi stuck out her tongue. "I don't even want to think about that."

"Neither do I," Roger agreed. 

"I guess we'll crash there for the night, then leave that night or Monday morning."

"That sounds fine." Mimi yawned and snuggled against Roger a little. 

"National Lampoon's Scarsdale Vacation from Hell," he smirked. "What a way to spend a weekend."

"I can't find my shirt."

Jackie silently laid in the bed, the sheet still draped over her bare torso. So many things were running through her head that she was beginning to feel a little dizzy. Natalie. Harvey. Ballet. Josh. Bruises. Hospitals. Sydney. _God how much she wanted to go back there_. 

"Jac?" Mark asked, staring at her in concern. "What's wrong? Did I do…did I hurt you or anything?"

She shook her head and sat up, tossing Mark his shirt and in turn grabbed her own. "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it? You know you can tell me anything, right?" he said, coming over to sit next to her.

"What did I do to deserve you, Mark?" she whispered, her green eyes reflecting the dim light in the room. "Why would anyone want to be with me?"

"Jackie, I'm—I'm falling in love with you, you know that, right?" he said timidly. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. I've always been too reserved—always holding out, never wanting to give one hundred percent. After Maureen, I barely dated anyone. Then you came along, and I figured I never had a chance—you were too perfect."

"I'm not perfect. There's so much you don't know about me. I'm afraid if I tell you…you'll leave," she added, a tear dripping down her cheek. Mark sighed and pulled her closer to him.

"Never that," he quietly replied in her ear. "I know—I know everything is really hard for you right now and you think that nothing is going right, but I just want you to know that I want to be that one thing that makes you happy at the end of the day and what you wake up for in the morning. I  hope that doesn't sound selfish."

"No, it doesn't. Thank you," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't know what I would have done by now if you weren't here."

"I know. Just talk to me. Don't ever think I won't be here to listen," he smiled. Jackie traced her fingers along his cheekbones and closed her eyes, her head resuming the position on his chest. 

"It's cold."

"I know. I swear we're going to buy that heater this weekend."

"I hope so. I really don't want to move from this spot. You're keeping me so warm," she giggled, running her hands up and down his chest. Mark softly kissed her and laced his fingers through hers.

"Do you still want to go tonight?" he asked.

"I'd feel pretty bad about missing Roger's gig. I know how much it means to him. We could always leave a little early," she suggested. "I don't feel particularly like drinking tonight."

"Neither do I. I kind of want to spend tonight with you." Mark yawned and pulled his jeans on as Jackie crawled off his lap. She did the same, running her brush through her hair.

"I know. I don't think we'll have much time to ourselves this weekend." She put her earrings in and applied some makeup before rejoining him on the bed.

"Are you comfortable with meeting my parents? I know we haven't been together that long," he said quickly.

"Of course, as long as you're comfortable with me meeting them."

"I'm fine. I just don't—there's too much drama in my family," he laughed.  Jackie managed a small smile.

"What do you think about going to Sydney with me?" she asked, curling up against him once more.

"Well, when do you want to go?" he asked, glancing into her eyes.

"Not right away. Eventually, I guess. Before Mimi has her baby. I'd have to really think about it. Maybe April or May?"

"Whenever you want to go, I'll go with you."

"Thank you."

"Stop thanking me," he laughed. Jackie shrugged.

"You know what? I'd really like to take everyone with us. Maybe not the first time, but I think we'd all have a really good time."

"We'd party it up with the kangaroos," Mark joked. "It's almost 9. We probably should start rounding everyone up to get going."

"Yeah, we should."

"I promise we won't be out too late," he said, grabbing his jacket from the closet.

___________________________________

"What time does he go on?"

"Soon, I think. God, he looks so nervous," Mimi laughed, taking a sip of water. Mark, Jackie, and Mimi were crowded around a small table in the center of the club, the smoke consuming every square inch of the room. It was almost too thick to breathe, but the atmosphere was enjoyable all the same. "Is Lisa coming?"

"No, she said she wanted to lay down." Mark wrapped his arm protectively around Jackie's shoulder, and she relaxed a bit against him. The club was practically bursting at the seams with people, and as the minutes grew closer to eleven, the doors were still opening and closing with ease.

"Jesus, how many people can fit in here?" Mimi questioned, brushing a stray curl out of her eye. She had opted to ditch the sweatpants for the night and was wearing a casual black mesh long sleeve shirt and a calf length dark denim skirt with black knee high boots underneath. Even though her clothes were tighter than usual, since she was so small, you could barely tell she was pregnant or see her small belly in the dim club setting.

"Probably around 300, I guess," Jackie answered, stretching and standing up. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom." Mark nodded and scanned the club for anyone he knew. Maureen had left for California, but was supposed to be back this weekend to collect some more of her things. Collins and Dan were spending the night at an art seminar in Brooklyn and were supposed to go out with some friends afterwards. He had sent his sincere apologies to Roger a few days before and promised to make it up to him.

Jackie pushed her way through the crowds of people and down the hall to where she assumed the bathroom was. However when she got there, she was greeted by a most unwelcome face. Josh. She quickly entered the ladies room and locked herself in a stall, breathing heavily. She hoped he hadn't seen her. When she heard the ladies room door open again, she knew she had been caught.

"Jacqueline Ferrell, nice to see you again," he muttered sarcastically. Groaning, she unlocked the stall and walked out near the sinks, where he was perched casually against the wall. 

"Unfortunately I can't say the same for you," she said, rolling her eyes and inching towards the door. Josh ran over to her and grabbed her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said, breathing into her ear.

"Away from you. With my friends."

Josh shook his head. "You actually have some of those? I saw who you walked in with. It's a shame, you had me and now you feel you have to whore yourself to low life, East Village trash," he smirked. 

"Mark's not trash. You don't know him. He's treated me better in the month I've been with him than you ever did in the two years we were together!" she shouted at him.

"Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and maybe we could—"

"No, we can't! Don't you understand? I'll never be yours again, not after what you've done to me. I got so fed up with the screaming, and the fights, and you sending me to the hospital! Never again," she whispered, pushing her way past him.

He threw his hands up in disgust. "Don't say I didn't warn you, however. It's such a shame you fell down the stairs that one time. We could have started a family together."

"Don't you dare even bring that up! You threw me down them! And I'm warning _you, _not the other way around. The court date's set for the 1st of April, so I wouldn't try anything smart before them. You're already facing jail time," she spat bitterly.

"I'm sorry to hear about Natalie, by the way, but have it your way, bitch. _Never say never._" He departed, the door swinging shut loudly behind him. Jackie sighed and walked over to the sink, splashing some water on her blotchy face. She made her way through the crowd of people to find Roger's opening act already set up on stage and tuning their instruments. Jackie huffily sat down and stirred her drink in frustration.

"Whoa, you okay?" Mark asked, rubbing her lower back.

"I'm fine. Just had a little run in with Josh near the bathrooms," she shrugged.

"Jackie…"

"Don't start Mark. I'm fine. Can I just enjoy myself this one time without having to think about how fucked up my life is?" she said angrily, focusing on the petite brunette the was testing the microphone on stage. 

"Sorry." Mark shook his head and focused away from her. Jackie sighed and rested her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to take it out on you, I really don't. I just can't handle everything all at once," she said sincerely.

"I know."

"Hey guys," Roger greeted, leaning against their table. He bent down and gave Mimi a quick kiss. "Hi baby."

"Hey," she responded, running her hands up his back. "Nervous?"

"Nah, not really. You look, wow, you look great," he smirked.

"Thanks. I tried. Didn't know what kind of luck I was gonna have. My feet really hurt," she smiled. "What time are you getting home tonight?"

"Probably around 1:30 or 2. It's gonna suck getting up tomorrow," he groaned. "Okay, well Wes is waving at me from the stage, so I gotta go. I'll see you later?"

"You bet."

"Break a leg," Mark said sarcastically.

"Ha ha. You're funny, Cohen." Roger flipped him off and walked away. 

The tiny brunette introducted herself as Lauren, and she held down the place for a good twenty minutes before the reformed _Well Hungarians_ came onstage. Everybody was dancing, and crowdsurfing, and Jackie eventually conned Mark into dancing with her, even though he claimed he had two left feet.

"I'm sure you aren't that bad," she laughed, grinding against him a little. 

"Oh, I assure you that I really am," he answered, kissing her forehead. Mimi was waving at them from the table and winking.

"Yeah Mark, get some!" she hollered out as his cheeks reddened a little.

"I don't think it's possible to grind to this song."

"Mark, you're so hopeless," Jackie teased, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Breathlessly, they returned to the table a few minutes later. Roger had wrapped up the last song, and was now strumming out the chords to "Your Eyes." Mimi's eyes widened and she shakily started playing with her water glass, running her fingers up and down the sides.

"Mimi, this is for you baby," Roger smiled into the mike, dedicating the song to her.

Jackie leaned over to Mark and started whispering in his ear. "You don't think he's going to propose to her right now, is he?" she asked, noting how Roger looked a little nervous onstage.

Mark shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, chances are he would have said something, and I definitely know he doesn't have a ring, but he's Roger and he can be spontaneous and unpredictable so I wouldn't be completely surprised if he had something like this up his sleeve. He probably would have at least mentioned something to me though…"

"Maybe he thinks you have a big mouth and would let it slip," she joked. 

"Thanks," Mark chuckled. "I think it's running through her head too. Look how she's watching him and playing with her hands. She always does that when she's nervous."

"Yeah. It would be so sweet if he did that."

"I wish he would already. I know that he'll probably do it before the baby is born, I mean, it's gotta be a given, right? I know she wants it too. I think that's what depressing her the most is the fact that he hasn't asked her to marry him yet and that he's getting really busy with the band," Mark added.

"If I was in that position I would be too," Jackie replied, sipping her long island ice tea. "I guess whenever he's ready."

"God, that could take forever."

Roger finished up the song and smiled a final time in Mimi's direction. She smiled back, but her face automatically fell afterwards when the band continued playing over the applause. Mark noticed and sighed.

"You okay Meems?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just thought, well never mind," she answered, tapping her foot against the table.

Mark and Jackie shared an "I told you so" glance and smiled.

"I just figured that he was going to propose…"

"Yeah, we were thinking the same thing," Jackie said sympathetically.

"Just give him time. You know how he gets," Mark added.

"I know." Mimi shrugged it off and attempted a small smile. "Eventually."

_________________________________________

It was close to twelve thirty when _The Well Hungarians_ finished their set. 

"Thanks for coming out everyone. Be sure to check us out next Friday, same time, same place," Wes shouted into the mic. 

"You guys fuckin' rock," Roger added, playing with the strings on his guitar.

"Figures he would add something like that," Mark laughed. Jackie smirked and stood up, stretching.

"Should we go, or should we wait around?" she yawned.

"Go. I think I've inhaled more than enough second hand smoke tonight. I'm really trying to get Roger to quit," Mimi added tentitavely. Mark nodded and stood up, and together they tried to make their way past the crowds of people trying to squeeze through the door. "You think everyone would realize that they can't all possibly get through two doors at the same time."

"What, is that like a pregnant pet peeve?" Mark joked. Mimi stared him down for a second before cracking a smile.

"Yeah, guess so. Shit, I don't see him anywhere," she complained as they finally made it onto the sidewalks and headed back in the direction towards the loft.

"He'll come home eventually. How did you like it?" Jackie asked, her hands resting in her pockets. 

"It was okay. I'm proud of him."

Jackie didn't press the question any further. They finally arrived at the loft around one, and everyone pathetically tried to undress without falling asleep. Lisa was curled up on the beaten old couch, two blankets wrapped around her and her dark hair making a fan around her head. She looked so peaceful that Mark didn't want to wake her, but he knew that she would freeze out in the living room without any heat.

"Lisa. Lisa, wake up and come sleep with everyone in Roger's room. It's too cold out here," Mark whispered in her ear, shaking her a little. She opened one eye groggily and sat up.

"What time is it?"

"Around 1. C'mon, we dragged another mattress into Roger's room so we can all fit and crowd around the two shitty space heaters." Lisa yawned and took the blankets with her. She dropped onto Roger's bed and curled up on the end of it, wrapping the blankets she had brought with her around her chin. Within a minute she was asleep again. Mark shook his head and stepped over her, ending up on the bed next to her and staring off into space. Jackie was brushing her teeth in the bathroom, and Mimi was pulling her hair back into a messy twist in front of the mirror. 

"Are those things up as high as they can go?" Mimi asked, pulling a pair of Roger's boxers on over her tiny shorts. 

"Yeah, pretty much," Mark sighed. "We have enough blankets though. Did you set the alarm?"

"No. Let Roger do it when he gets in. I'm too lazy."

"So am I." 

Jackie appeared in the doorway, rolling her pajama pants down around her hips a little. She crawled over Lisa and ended up on Mark's other side, resting her chest against him, Mark pulling the sheets over them. Mimi shut the lights off, and soon enough she was in bed with them too.

"Well, this is kind of cozy."

"Yeah, it is," Mark said sleepily, shutting his eyes. Jackie's breathing was starting to even out, and Mark knew she was already lightly sleeping. He kissed her forehead gently and started to drift of to sleep himself.

Mimi, however, couldn't sleep. She had gotten so used to sleeping with Roger—at the same time as Roger—that it felt so empty without his arms around her and his breathing echoing in her ear. She flipped over towards the digital clock and noted the time. 2:05 AM. 

"Come home, Roger," she whispered to no one in particular before falling into a restless sleep.

_______________________________________

Roger entered the loft twenty minutes later, slipping his leather jacket and boots off silently before heading towards the bedroom. He knew he reeked of smoke and beer, but frankly he didn't care, because he was so exhausted he felt as if he were going to fall down. He yawned and tousled his blonde hair before entering the room.

Mimi sat up as soon as he entered. "Hey."

"Hey. Wait a minute, what the hell is this? Gilligan's Island? Why's everyone in our bed?" he asked, stripping off his shirt and pants, ending up in just his boxers.

"I don't know. This is just kind of where we all ended up," Mimi said. Roger slipped into bed next to her and kissed her heavily. Soon enough the were mid makeout, Roger running his hands under Mimi's shirt.

"Roger, we've gotta get some sleep. I don't exactly want to have sex in front of three other people," Mimi laughed.

"Yeah, but it's not like they're watching anyway," he joked. "You're right. It would be really uncomfortable since Mark's foot is practically wedged in my ass."

"What?" Mark mumbled. Roger laughed and shook his head.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep."

"Yep." Mark started snoring again, and Roger moved off of Mimi, instead wrapping his arms around her. 

"What a story to tell the baby," Mimi smiled. "Hey, Daddy couldn't have sex with Mommy because you're Uncle's foot was in the way."

_______________________________________

The alarm clock started blaring at 7 AM the next morning. Roger and Mimi slept right through it, but Mark bolted up and shut if off. Jackie briefly stirred next to him, then turned over and fell right back asleep.

"Roger get up," Mark said. He couldn't even find Roger, the sheets were so far up over his head. "Roger, up. NOW."

Roger moved the sheets off his face and squinted at him. "What?"

"We've gotta leave in an hour," Mark reminded him, crawling over everyone to stand up. Roger groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Mark left and returned with Roger's pills and handed them to him with a glass of water.

"Thanks. FYI, your foot was in my ass last night," Roger laughed.

"Sorry. You were practically drooling on me."

"Was not," he protested, standing up. "I gotta go hit the shower. I smell."

"Mmm lovely," Mark gloated as Roger headed towards the bathroom. He had just started the pot of coffee when Jackie sleepily walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," she yawned. "Nervous?"

Mark shrugged and pulled out a few coffee mugs and set them on the counter. "Kind of. I haven't exactly seen my parents for a few months. I know Roger's real nervous about seeing his dad again."

"I thought his dad was there last time he went to Scarsdale?"

"Nope. I mean, he was, but he avoided Roger the whole time."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Roger's not exactly too thrilled to see him either." 

"I wouldn't be," Jackie added in. "What time do we have to leave?"

"By 8. Roger hates driving against traffic. He gets pissed off," Mark laughed, pouring the coffee into the set of coffee mugs set on the table.

"Do um, do his parents know he's sick?"

"No. His sister does though, but by accident. She found his pills last time he was there. They were sitting in the bathroom or something," Mark replied, swallowing his coffee and clearing his throat. "I hope he's going to tell them this time."

"Roger up yet?" Mimi asked, coming into the kitchen. She reached for a cup of coffee, half asleep.

"Yup. He's in the shower." Mark passed the sugar down the table.

"My back is killing me," she complained, trying to rub her back with one hand and drink her coffee with the other.

"So is mine," Lisa added. She was fully dressed in jeans and a hoodie, wide awake. "That was so uncomfortable."

"Hey, no one said any of you had to crowd into my bed," Roger smirked, coming into the kitchen with a towel on his waist. "Mark was all over the place last night, and somebody was drooling on my arm."

"At least it was warm. Unfortunately it's about thirty degrees in here," Mark laughed.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was dressed and dragging their duffel bags out into the living room.

"Too bad this can't be a trip to…the beach or something," Roger added, kicking his bag closer to the door.

"Shut up. You're going to Hawaii in two weeks. What are you complaining about?" Lisa added, brushing her hair.

"Yeah, stuff it," Mark said pathetically. "You have the numbers to the hospital, right?"

"Yep. I just got off the phone with them. They said Noah's doing great. He gained another ounce and a half. They're pretty surprised actually. I just wish I could stay here and be a little closer to him," Lisa yawned.

"You could, if you wanted."

"I know, but Mom's gonna be a pain in the ass about it if I end up not showing up. I don't need her mad at me anymore than she already is."

"So what are you going to tell her when she asked what happened?" Mark questioned, waiting on Lisa's answer. She shrugged, avoiding the question.

"Maybe she won't ask. It's not really her business anyway."

"Okay, I'm really not getting into an argument with you right now, but you seriously need to tell me what happened. I still don't know," Mark said defensively.

"Fuck you and what you don't know," Lisa said quietly, getting up to go sit in her bedroom.

"Oookay."

"That was pretty harsh," Mimi said, leaning over the kitchen counter to get her pills from the cabinet.

"Tell me about it. Everything loaded up Rog?" Mark called out into the hall.

"What? Yeah. Good thing Maureen left her car behind."

_______________________________


	20. 20

CHAPTER 20

__________________________________

"I'm not driving home," Roger complained, exiting off the Bronx River Parkway by making a sharp right turn.

"My god, where did you get your license?" Lisa asked from the backseat. Mimi was sleeping in the passenger seat, and Mark and Jackie were together next to Lisa.

"Call me a shitty driver all you want, but I got you from point A to point B, didn't I?"

"Why don't you let me drive home," she yawned.

"Hah. Yeah right kid. You've had your license for what, not even a year?" Roger laughed.

"Um, at least I know the difference between the turn signal and the windshield wipers jackass," Lisa giggled. Roger glared at her in the rearview mirror and flipped her off.

"I don't drive much."

"No shit," Mark added. Jackie was staring monotonously out the window, taking in the scenery.

"Jesus Christ, you just passed your own street," Lisa shouted out at him. Roger slammed on the brakes and Mimi's eyes flew open.

"You're Jewish! What are you screaming about Christ for?" Roger shouted at her, pulling a u-turn and turning onto his street.

"Oh my god. Roger, seriously, you're not driving anymore," Mimi said grumpily.

"Second that," Jackie smirked.

"You've been overruled buddy," Mark smiled.

"You're all a bunch of assholes. 54, 56, 58…"

"YOU JUST PASSED YOUR OWN HOUSE!" Lisa laughed again. Mimi shook her head and started laughing as Roger narrowed his eyes and turned around again at the end of the street before heading back down.

"Fine. Better?" he asked, pulling into the driveway behind a black Volvo and next to a red Jetta. "Now get the fuck out."

"Ooh testy," Mark said.

Mimi stepped out of the passenger side as Mark, Jackie, and Lisa went around back to grab the bags. "I'm sorry baby."

"Yeah, it's fine. You're okay with this?"

"Not like I have any choice now, but yeah, I am," Mimi smiled, kissing him on the cheek. Roger laced his fingers through hers and together they walked up the path to the front door.

"Hey Davis, what about your bags?"

"Carry them in?" Roger said stupidly. He rang the doorbell, shifting from side to side. Mimi gently rubbed his back as the door opened slowly. Lindsey appeared behind the glass screen door, Marissa balanced on her hip and another younger boy wrapped around her leg.

"Hey!" she said, wrapping her free arm around Roger in a sad attempt at a hug. "What are you, a morning person now?"

"You wish," Roger said sarcastically, pulling Mimi in behind him. "Lindsey, this is my girlfriend Mimi. Mimi, my sister Lindsey."

"Hi! It's nice to finally meet you," Lindsey added brightly, giving Mimi a hug as well. Mimi looked a little taken aback by her gesture, but gave into it anyway. "How are you feeling? Oh, congratulations by the way."

"Jeez Linds, calm down," Roger teased. "Hey Corey."

"Hi Uncle Roger," Corey answered. Corey was Roger's older brother's son, and apparently that meant that his brother was here too.

"I'm feeling pretty good, actually. I'm already 13 weeks, so the morning sickness is pretty much over," Mimi answered.

"Lucky. I had morning sickness up until my sixth month with Marissa here," Lindsay said, putting her down on the floor. Marissa took off and hid in front of the couch, peeking out a little bit. "Rissa, come say hi to Uncle Roger."

"Hi," she whispered shyly.

Roger's mother was standing in the kitchen doorway, hands on her hips. "Lindsay Marie Davis, don't you have any manners? Why are you all standing around?"

"Hi mom," Roger said quietly.

"Hi yourself," she laughed, giving him a hug and kissing him. "Where's Mark?"

"Outside with the bags," Roger grinned.

"Marky's here?" Lindsey laughed. "You actually got him out from under his camera and brought him with you for once?" She had picked up Marissa again and was rocking her from side to side.

"He's got his girlfriend under him now," Roger joked.

"Roger!"

"Sorry Mom," he apologized. Mimi and Lindsey started giggling. "Where's Jimmy?"

"He and Jennifer had to take Aidan to the doctor this morning, so I told them to drop Corey off. They should be back soon. Your dad's still at the office, and he'll probably want to talk to you later, so I'm just—"

"Mom it's fine," Roger said sharply, trying to change the subject. "Really." Mimi poked him in the ribs and cleared her throat. "Oh yeah, mom, this is Mimi."

"So this is the Mimi that Roger talks nonstop about," Sandra smiled, giving Mimi a hug. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"How are you feeling? How far along are you?"

"Good, all things considering…almost four months," Mimi answered. Roger wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and held her while Mark finished carrying the bags inside.

"Hi Mrs. Davis," he called out.

"Hello Mark," she laughed, kissing and hugging him as well. "And Lisa! Sweetie how are you feeling? And the baby?"

"Pretty good actually. Noah's doing great for a preemie," Lisa smiled.

"That's wonderful." When Sandra noticed everyone standing around and shifting from side to side, she clapped her hands together. "Well, uh, Roger, I guess you and Mimi could take your room. Mark, I can set up the basement pullout for you and…"

Jackie was resting her head on Mark's shoulder and perked up when she noticed Mrs. Davis staring at her. "Oh, sorry. Hi, I'm Jackie, Mark's girlfriend."

Sandra continued smiling and nodded. "It's good to know he has someone besides his camera."

"Hey how come I got yelled at for saying the same thing?" Roger complained.

"Because it was the way you said it, and I'm your mother and I'm entitled to say such things," she laughed. "I bet you all want to get settled in and everything. Mark your mother called and wanted you to call her as soon as you got in."

Mark groaned and pushed his glasses up a little bit on his nose. "Sure thing."

___________________________________

Lisa walked into Lindsey's room, throwing her small bag onto the edge of the other twin bed. She hadn't been at the Davis' in years, not since Mark and Roger left for the city. Besides, it had always been Cindy and Lindsey who were good friends anyway. She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and tucked a few stray pieces behind her ears as she peeked out the window. Without even letting the thought properly register in her head, she picked up the phone near Marissa's crib and dialed a number she used to know by heart. After three rings, a male voice came over the line.

"Hello?"

"We need to talk. Look, before you say no, I'm in town for the weekend and I can meet you at the park in an hour."

"Lisa? What—what are you doing back?"

"It doesn't matter. Just meet me at the park, Matt. We need to talk."

"Okay. I'll be there."

Lisa hung up the phone and curled up on the bed, staring at the ceiling. When everything was said and done, she knew she'd have a lot of explaining to do. She couldn't lie anymore.

"Your mom seems great."

Roger looked up from the ground and shrugged. "Yeah, she is, I guess."

Mimi sighed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Look, I know this is hard for you—"

"No, you don't. You don't have any idea," he said harshly, standing up and pushing her arms away. Mimi frowned and rolled her eyes at him.

"It doesn't help that you're being a complete asshole about it," she protested, resting her hands on her hips. "You can't always wish that your family would disappear. Believe me, I've tried."

"You still don't know. I'm just waiting until my dad gets home, and then all hell will break loose and I'll be kicked out again."

"You don't know that. Chances are he's realized something by now."

"Yeah, how much he still hates me," Roger muttered bitterly, running his hand through his hair. Mimi turned away from him and walked towards the window. "Don't preach about shit you haven't experienced."

"Fine. I'm taking a nap. Go bitch to someone else then." She flipped over, angling herself away from him. "I don't know if I've ever told you how proud I am of you. You were great last night, but sometimes you can really be a stubborn prick."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not," he replied.

"Stop being a smartass. My back is killing me, and you being…you isn't helping," she said. 

"Then let me rub your back for you," he smirked. Mimi shrugged and sat up, glaring at him.

"Stop trying to get on my good side."

Roger started rubbing her shoulders and kissing her neck at the same time, moving lower and finally coming to rest on her hips. "Better?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet," she smiled. "You're so moody, you know that?"

"Me? You're not any better."

"I have an excuse at least. You're just—" Roger cut her off and kissed her.

"Well whatever I am, you love me anyway."

"You're damn right," Mimi giggled, resting her head on his shoulders. "Sorry."

"S'ok. I'm sorry too. I think getting out of here and going to Hawaii will do us good."

"Probably. This place stresses me out."

"Mark stresses me out more," he joked.

"You won with that one."

Roger slid Mimi off his lap and propped himself up on his elbow, staring at Mimi without saying anything.

"What? You've got that goofy grin going on and that means you're up to something," she observed, playing with his hands.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What do you think about…marriage?" he asked quietly. 

Mimi's eyes widened and she started chewing on her lip. "Um…well…what do you think about it?"

"I want to marry you, if you want to marry me, that is. But I want to do it right—everything. Even the proposal—when I get a ring, that is."

"Roger I don't need a ring," Mimi sighed.

"But I want you to have one," he said in a final tone.

"Okay. So is this a pre proposal kind of speech, or the real thing? Are we semi engaged, or are we just _talking_ about getting engaged?" she laughed.

"Well, I guess we're talking about getting engaged, but if you want me to ask you to marry me right now I will, but I'm just letting you know I'm gonna do it again when I get the ring," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

"I don't care."

"Mimi Marquez, will you marry me?"

"Yeah—yeah, I will," she giggled, as he kissed her. "Where's my tinfoil ring?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. When I was little, me and my sisters used to put on these fake weddings, and we used to have tinfoil rings, ya know?"

"Wow."

"Ah, shut up," Mimi said, shoving him playfully.

"When do you want to get married?" he asked, pulling her onto his lap again.

"Well…I guess whenever's convenient. I'd like to still be able to fit into a dress and look halfway decent, but I know there's going to be close to no time after the baby gets here," she stated, playing with the drawstring on her sweatpants.

"Before then?"

"Yeah, as long as it's okay with you. Maybe in May?" she suggested. "How are we going to pay for all of this?"

"We'll think of something," he reassured her.

"I don't want a lot of people there. Actually, I'd rather keep it kind of small anyway."

"That's fine. We have almost two months to think about everything. So do we tell Mark right away, or wait?"

"Let's wait a little bit. You know how Mark gets."

"Yeah, he might just piss himself in excitement," Roger laughed.

_________________________________

"Hey Mark?"

Mark looked up from the couch, where he was digging through his bad, obviously looking for something. "Yeah?"

Lisa shifted her weight, leaning against the post to the basement stairs. "Um, is it okay if I go out for about an hour?"

"Should I ask where you're going?"

"No, but it's not anywhere…bad?" she shrugged. "Can I talk to you later, too? Or maybe Jackie?"

Mark sighed and shrugged. Jackie was upstairs with Lindsey and Marissa. "That's fine."

"Okay. I'll uh, see you in a little bit?"

"Yep." Lisa hung her head a little and climbed back up the stairs, and after looking around to make sure she wasn't going to run into anyone, she slipped out through the back door. It was cold—Scarsdale winters were always cold—and her breath hung in the air. She hated the look Mark had just given her. He was disappointed, and she knew it. Quickening her pace a little, she reached the entrance to the park and walked around, taking a seat on the park bench. She completely spaced out for the next ten minutes, tracing the many marks made on the bench. L + M 4EVER '96. 

"Lisa!"

She stood up, brushing off her jeans. "Hi."

Matt jogged through the rest of the park, reaching her within a minute. "Hey."

"I didn't think you'd come," she said carelessly, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets.

"Yeah, um—well I did," he answered quickly.

"Well, I just came to tell you that you have a son. I'm not asking you for anything—you don't even have to see him, but I just figured that, well you should know."

"Isn't it too early? I mean—what about the whole story with David?"

"David and I had an agreement made to save your ass. Basically I'd say he was the father, so it wouldn't ruin your high school popularity career.  No one would know, I'd end up leaving anyway, so no one would even think about pointing a finger at you," she said calmly. "Look, it's a lot to explain, and yes, the baby was born early, but he's okay, I'm okay, and that's all that matters."

"What did you name him?" Matt asked, taking a seat on the bench next to her.

"Noah Andrew."

"Noah huh? I like that. Does he, um, does he look like me?"

Lisa stared him for a minute before responding. "Yeah, he does. He has your eyes and mouth."

"Can I see him? I mean, not right away, if you don't want me to, but—you can say no if you want," Matt stuttered. Lisa cracked a smile and shrugged.

"I guess. I'm not going to be a bitch and say you can't see your own son at all. He's in the NICU, but, if you want to, I could arrange it."

"I could drive down after school one day—or maybe on a weekend?" Matt suggested.

"I live with my brother now in the city, so um, do you have a piece of paper or anything?" she asked, pulling out a pen from her pocket. 

"Yeah. Here." Lisa took the paper from him and scribbled down the loft's address and phone number. 

"I won't be back there until Sunday night or Monday morning, but call ahead and let me know when you want to come up."

"Thanks. I'm really sorry about everything, you know that right?" he added, taking the piece of paper from her and shoving it into his pocket.

"I know, but it doesn't change anything, does it?"

"No, it doesn't. I, uh, I just wanted to let you know that I'm attending NYU in the fall after graduation, so uh, maybe I could see you and Noah more?" he tried, nervously running a hand through his brown hair.

"Maybe," she said cautiously.

"I really want to make everything up to you—and for the baby. Here," he said, shoving an envelope at her.

Lisa took it and stared at it. "What's this?"

"Just uh, open it, okay?"

Lisa complied and opened the envelope. A check fluttered to the ground, and she bent down to pick it up. "Matt, this is $300. I can't take this from you."

"I know. I want you to take it. Buy Noah whatever he needs, and take care of yourself too."

"Thank you," Lisa said politely. Before she knew it, Matt had his arms around her, hugging her gently.

"Thanks for letting me come up to see him. Do you need a ride back to your house?" he asked, as they started walking out of the park.

"I'm staying at Roger Davis' house right now—"

"That's fine. I know where he lives," he said. Lisa nodded and opened the passenger side door to his Jeep.

"Do you have any pictures of him?"

"No, not with me. I mean, the only pictures I really have of him are the Polaroid's taking by the nurses, but when I get the chance I was going to get a head start on his baby book. Do you want one?" she asked, staring out the window as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yeah…"

"I can give you a copy of one then."

"Thanks Lisa. I mean really, thank you." He pulled into Roger's driveway. "I'll call you on Monday, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Lisa smiled briefly and stepped out of the Jeep, waved once, and headed towards the house.

As she made her way around the back, Lisa realized that she didn't have any reason to trust him. She needed to lie down. Her head was spinning in twenty different directions. She was a liar—fucking pathetic, and the best thing was, everyone was too involved in themselves to give a damn. 

________________________________

"Yeah, just take those three boxes and put them in the back of my car."

"Wait, those three?" Roger asked.

"Yup." Lindsey was busy shoving another box into the front seat, and Mark was carrying two more to put in the trunk.

"So where is this place again?" Mark groaned from under the weight.

"Hartsdale, about ten minutes away," Lindsey answered, throwing Roger the keys to her car. "Do me a favor and take my shit up there and follow me. I'll take Mom's car up there."

"Do I have to be seen in a red Jetta?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Gotta keep that bad ass image up huh?" she teased. 

"Ya damn straight," Roger laughed. "Whose car is that?"

A silver Corolla pulled up next to the mailbox, and Mark ducked behind Lindsey's car. "Shit!"

"Oh fuck, it's Cindy," Roger laughed. "Mommy must have told her you were hear, Marky!"

Cindy waved to Lindsey and Roger before making her way to the backseat and unbuckling four-year-old Rachel. "Hey guys."

"Hi Cindy," Roger laughed. 

Cindy came strolling up the driveway, keys in one hand and Rachel pulling on the other. 

"Where's Adam and Anthony today?" Lindsey asked, slamming her car door shut.

"Adam's home watching football or something, and Anthony's at his friend's house for the day. Hey Davis, did you bring Mark and Lisa with you?" Cindy asked.

"Lisa's in the house, and Mark's—uh—checking the tire?" Roger shrugged, pointing to the other side of Lindsey's car.

"Uh huh. Nice try Mark." 

Mark sheepishly stood up. "Sorry."

"Is Lisa around?" Cindy asked, waving to Mrs. Davis who was now standing on the front porch. "Hi Mrs. Davis!"

"Hello Cindy. How are you?"

"Pretty good, thanks." 

"Well uh, we were just about to leave," Roger said, jumping into the driver's seat of the Jetta. "Nice seeing you again." He started the ignition and took off down the driveway and down the street.

"Yeah, we were," Mark added.

"You can't run from Mom forever. I'm here to see Lisa anyway—"

"Thanks," Mark laughed. He was already sitting in the passenger's seat, and Lindsey was ready to back the car out of the driveway.

"Later little bro," Cindy replied, picking up Rachel and carrying her up the driveway. "How's little Marissa?"

"She's wonderful. Such a troublemaker though," Sandra laughed. Lisa and Mimi were sitting on the couch, entertaining Marissa with her Pooh bear and trying to read her a book. Lisa looked up and smiled when she saw Cindy and Rachel.

"Rachie!" Lisa squealed, taking her from Cindy and kissing her on both cheeks before spinning her around.

"Hi Aunt Lisa," she giggled. "Where's baby?" she added, her little hand trying to reach for Lisa's stomach.

"Baby's in the hospital—well because—" Lisa tried to look for Cindy for some help, smiling.

"Noah's in the hospital because the doctor's want to make him extra special to see everyone," Cindy tried to explain. "Kind of like when you were born; the doctors tried to make you pretty and smell nice before I could take you home, silly."

"Oh. Okay," Rachel said. Everything was so simple with four year olds. "Do I get to see him? And play with him?"

"Soon, sweetie. Hey Mimi, this is Mark's older sister Cindy," Lisa introduced.

"Hey," Mimi said. "I'm Roger's girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you. So Lisa, wanna get out of here for a few hours?"

"If it's okay with you, Mimi." Lisa said, spinning Rachel around again.

"Sure. I'm sure Roger and everyone will be back soon anyway," she smiled, turning her attention back to Marissa.

"Okay. Let me just go and grab my coat."

"We'll be waiting in the car," Cindy said, taking Rachel from her as Lisa ran down the hall.

Ten minutes later, Cindy was already turning off the Hutchinson River Parkway and heading towards New Rochelle. Rachel had fallen asleep in the backseat, and Lisa was humming along to the radio.

"So, honest question. How are you doing?" Cindy asked sincerely, turning the radio down a little. "Mark taking care of you?"

"He honestly tries, Cind. But he's got a girlfriend now, and a new job, so it's hard for me to relate to him about anything."

"You two have always been close. Anything particular happen that you want to talk about?"

"No. It's just tough, especially when I bring Noah back to the loft. I don't really have anything for him besides a few basic onesies and some bottles. It's really overwhelming—I don't know what I'm going to do," Lisa said quietly, staring out the window.

"Exactly why I'm taking you out today. I scavenged through a bunch of Anthony's old baby clothes and put them in two boxes, plus I have his bassinet, walker, swing, and _so many toys_," she laughed. "Then we're headed to Babies 'R Us, where you are going to pick out the nursery theme and anything else you want."

"Cindy—wow. I don't know what to say," Lisa laughed.

"Just make good use of my money and I'll be happy. We just have to drop off Rachel with Adam, and then we'll go and you can tell me everything about what you've been up to," she said, pulling down into a development complex and finally pulling into the driveway of a two-story brick house. Lisa stepped out onto the driveway, while Cindy hoisted a sleepy Rachel onto her shoulder. "Wanna come in?"

"Sure," Lisa said, following Cindy up the stairs and into the house. Anthony came screaming around the corner, imitating an airplane—Adam close behind him.

"Mommy!" he shouted, lunging himself at Cindy. 

"Hi sweetie," she replied, kissing the top of his head. "Have fun today?"

"Yup. Michael can come to my 7th birthday party," he smiled, before running down the hall again. 

"Hey Lisa," Adam said, taking Rachel from Cindy before giving Cindy a quick kiss on the lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, thank you."

"You sure you can handle them? Cindy asked, before grabbing her purse from the bottom of the stairs.

"No problem. Rachel looks like she'll be out for a little while anyway. Have fun girls."

"Ready to go?" 

"You bet," Lisa answered, following Cindy out to her car again.

_______________________________________________


	21. 21

CHAPTER 21

______________________________________

"So what does Matt think about everything?"

Lisa pulled her hair back into a twist and shrugged. "He wants to see Noah, and he already gave me money to help out with the baby."

Cindy smiled. "Why didn't you call him and ask him to come along with you?"

"I don't know. I didn't really think he'd be all that interested," Lisa said. Cindy dug around in her purse, taking out her cell phone. She handed it to Lisa and motioned for her to use it. "Call him."

"I don't know…"

"Just ask him. Tell him you thought that he might want to help pick out a few things. You'd be surprised how excited they get about it. Adam went crazy before Anthony was born. Besides, I always liked Matt," Cindy smiled. 

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, I guess I could." Cindy stood outside her car, and within five minutes Lisa was finished using the phone. 

"And?"

"He said he'd meet us there in twenty minutes," Lisa said, handing Cindy her phone back.

"Us? Who said _anything_ about us? Take the car, go meet him, and then come back and show me what you bought. I'll head over to Mom's and break the ice for you a little bit, then I want both of you to show up and sit down to talk to our parents, kay?" Cindy said, giving Lisa a quick hug and handing her the keys to the Corolla.

Lisa stared at Cindy like she was crazy. "What are you, insane? You're giving me your car and your credit card?"

"Go before I change my mind," Cindy warned, heading back up the porch steps. 

_______________________________________________

"I'm never helping anyone move again. Ever."

Mark tossed his bag onto the ground and launched himself onto the couch, shutting his eyes briefly. "C'mere," he added, sticking out his hand. Jackie walked towards him and pulled herself on top of him, resting her head on his chest. "I know you probably don't want to be here right now."

"Honestly Mark, I don't mind it that much," she said quietly.

"Lisa still isn't talking to me," he added. "I just wish she would tell me what's going on with her."

Jackie sighed, tracing her fingers lightly against his arms. "I don't know. Maybe she's afraid you'll be upset with her. There could be a million reasons."

"I know, but it's not making it any easier on her. Everyone's going to start asking questions, and then her stories aren't going to match up, and she'll basically screw herself into the ground."

"Why don't you try talking to her again?" Jackie suggested.

"Maybe I should. I just don't know what it is. She says some guy got her pregnant and that was it. Then she leaves out of nowhere to spend some time with her friend Danielle and shows up on my doorstep again with pneumonia. Then she has her baby three months early. Something's going on," Mark finished.

"Exactly, but for now just let her know you're here for her and I bet she'll come and talk to you about it."

"I hope so, at least," Mark said, rubbing Jackie's back. "I hope she gets back with Cindy soon too."

"Don't you remember what it was like to be seventeen? Or were you just such a dork?" Jackie laughed, kissing his forehead.

"Ha ha. You're starting to take over Roger's job."

"And that would be?"

"Making fun of me."

___________________________________________________________________

Lisa parked Cindy's Corolla in the Babies 'R Us parking lot fifteen minutes later. It was already nearing four, and the place was surprisingly empty for a Saturday afternoon.  She was dually shocked to find Matt standing outside the entrance, surveying the parking lot for her just as much as she was looking for him.

"Hey," she said, approaching him wistfully. "I hope I didn't screw up your plans or anything."

Matt shook his head and smiled. "Nope."

"Okay, so do you want to grab the shopping cart, or should I?"

"I'll get it." Lisa entered the store and shoved Cindy's keys into her pocket. Her breath caught in her throat when she noticed how tempting everything looked. Looking over at Matt, she perceived the same look on his face.

"Kind of…freaky isn't it?" she laughed.

"Yeah, " he laughed, following her into the first aisle. "Where should we start?"

Lisa looked around and pointed towards the cribs and bedding. "I guess with the bedding. Cindy already gave me her crib and I have it back at the loft…so we'll just need a bedding set and sheets?"

Lisa scanned the shelves, passing a few girl themes before finally maneuvering over to the boy themes. "What about this one?"

Matt shook his head. "Too antique. Kind of reminds me of the one my mom had for my Craig. I used to hate it."

Lisa pointed out a few more, and then finally spotted another out of the corner of her eye. "This one is perfect." The set was patterned with equal amounts of blue and green, and a giant moon was in centered in the middle. "It's cute—not too antique and definitely not too girlish."

"Yeah. I like that one." Matt took it off the shelf and placed it into the cart, following Lisa down the rest of the aisle.  "So um, how is he doing?"

"Well, he's small, but he's gaining as much weight as he's supposed to, and the doctors are really thrilled with that. He was 3 pounds, 2 ounces when he was born, but he already gained another five ounces, so he's a little over 3 pounds, 7 ounces right now. They're feeding him through an intravenous tube that goes through his mouth into his stomach, and they said that sometime this week they want me to try feeding him with a regular bottle to see how he responds. I got to hold him the other day," she replied. "We're going to need one of those." She tossed a mattress pad into the cart and continued looking around.

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm sure you can hold him when we go up there."

"I don't want to hurt him or anything," Matt said quietly. 

Lisa touched his arm gently, trying to get him to look at her. "Hey listen—I pushed you away, okay? I guess I figured that I could handle everything alone, but I couldn't, and that's why I went to Mark, and why I called you today."

"But we're okay again? We're not gonna throw away the year we were together, are we?" he asked.

"I don't want to. I did, but I don't anymore. I'm just really overwhelmed right now. I still don't know what I'm going to do about graduation. I missed two months already," she said.

"Yeah, but you've always had extra credits, right? You could come up to the school on Monday and talk to your counselor and see if you can work out something with her. You'll probably only need to really focus on Composition and Lit, AP Chem, and Trig," Matt suggested, pointing out the matching sheet set. "Our kid's gonna be spoiled."

"Probably," she laughed. "I guess I could come to school on Monday and see if I can get my schedule straightened out. The only problem is, I'm still considered "kicked out" by my father, and Noah's in NICU in Mount Sinai. So either I'll have to stay in Scarsdale, go to school, drive back to the city everyday to live with Mark so I'll be closer to Noah, or I'll stay in Scarsdale, go to school, live here, and still end up driving back everyday to see him."

Matt nodded and looked thoughtful for a few minutes as Lisa found the matching mobile to go with the crib bedding. "What if you stayed with me until graduation? My whole family loves you."

"I could do that, and the building that Mark lives in has some vacant apartments, and well—I'm good friends with the landlord, Benny. They're decent, and they're pretty cheap for the city, and since you're going to be at NYU in the fall, then maybe we could get a place there? If you want to live in a dorm I understand, but I'll probably end up getting one on my own then. I can't rely on Mark all the time, and his place is crowded enough already," she sighed.

"I want to pay for it then," Matt said firmly. "I'm guaranteed freshman housing, but I'd rather live in my own apartment with you and our son."

Lisa raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do. Lisa you know me well enough to know that I wouldn't just say something like that."

"Why are you being so good to me after I treated you like shit? I don't deserve any of this—or you either," she laughed.

"Because I still love you."

Lisa looked away quickly, and then back at him. "I know." Things were awkward for a few seconds, until Matt cleared his throat.

"Hey, there's baby toys over there!" he said, a grin spreading over his face. He grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him.

"Oh god, here we go."

_______________________________________

An hour later, Matt was attempting to load everything in the back of his Jeep, while Lisa was taking the smaller bags and placing them in the back of Cindy's Corolla. 

"How does Chinese sound?" Matt asked.

"Good. I'm starving, but I'm just letting you know that I need to run over to my parents house and have a talk with them. Cindy already mentioned that she'd "break the ice" for me," Lisa said, rolling her eyes. 

"Yeah, that's fine."

By 5:30, Matt and Lisa had pulled separately into the Cohen driveway. Both cars were in the driveway, meaning that her mother and father were home. 

"No turning back now," she muttered under her breath, turning off the ignition and sliding out of the car. Matt was already waiting for her, and he had his hand held out. Lisa placed her own in it and together they started up the driveway, only letting go to knock on the door. What seemed like an eternity was only a minute, and as her mother's face appeared behind the screen door, Lisa took a deep breath to steady her breathing.

"Lisa? Oh honey…how's my baby girl?" Mrs. Cohen said, wrapping her arms around her daughter in a tight hug. "How are you feeling? And how's my grandson?" She noticed Matt standing there and gave him a hug as well. "I haven't seen you in forever."

"Hi Mrs. Cohen," he answered.

Lisa eyed her mother suspiciously. Eva Cohen was notorious for having mood swings like the weather, but sometimes she wondered if her mother had it all together. "I'm feeling better, just a little sore still. Noah's responding really well to everything—the antibiotics, the respirator, and feeding. I got to hold him the other day, and he was breathing on his own, but they put him back on the respirator just in case," she answered. Matthew closed the door behind him and took of his jacket as Lisa did the same. 

"Here, let me take those," Eva smiled, placing the coats in the hall closet. "Why don't you both have a seat and I'll go get your father."

Lisa nodded and took a seat in the recliner, Matt on the couch facing her. 

"How'd it go you guys?" Cindy asked, entering the living room. Lisa handed her the keys to her car back and smiled.

"It went pretty well. We bought the bedding for the crib, and a bunch of bath and feeding stuff. I used the money Matt gave me, and we even got the changing table too, along with a stroller."

"Okay. Guess you didn't want to spend my money, huh?" Cindy teased, giving Lisa a quick hug. "I talked to Mom and Dad. They're pretty open to anything you say to them right now. Surprising, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I think Mark broke them in," Lisa joked.

"Okay, well I gotta go, but good luck!" she said, giving Lisa the thumbs up before putting her jacket on.

"Oh, I have a few bags in your trunk," Lisa remembered, standing up.

"My Jeep's open, so I could get them?" Matt suggested.

Cindy shook her head. "Nah, I'll just move them for you. It's not a problem. See ya tomorrow guys." She left, slamming the front door behind her.

Eva reentered the room, followed by Gene.

"Hi Dad," Lisa said. Gene walked over and gave her a kiss and a hug before sitting down.

"You're home," he said. "I'm glad."

"Really?" she asked, tucking her feet underneath her.

"Well, I had a talk with your mother and your sister. I never meant to kick you out of the house—in fact I know now that I was quite wrong for doing so, but everything came as such a shock to us. I just want to let you know that you'll always have a home here, even though I know you love living with your brother in the city, although I can't imagine how anyone could love living in that—"

Eva glared at him and cleared her throat. "What your father means, sweetie, is that we're supportive of whatever decisions you make from now on, okay? We admit, we did overreact, but it was such a shock to see our baby having a baby of our own."

"I know."

"And you, young man, are taking full responsibility for your son, I hope?" Gene said sternly, staring him down.

"Yes sir." Matt nodded.

"That's what we want to talk to you about. Basically, I've decided that I want to finish out my senior year here in Scarsdale, and Monday I'm planning on going to school to see my counselor to see if I can make up the grades for the two months I missed."

"You had extra credits anyway, sweetie, so I don't think it would be a problem," Eva said.

"Exactly. So I was hoping that I'd either live at Mark's and drive to school to be closer to Noah, or I'd stay home and go to school. Either way I'll see Noah everyday," Lisa said calmly. "Matt offered to let me stay at his house, but if it's okay with both of you, maybe he could stay here a few nights a week and I could stay there too—at least until graduation?" She saw her parents glance at themselves in apprehension.

"Well…I don't have an particular objections, seeing as you already have a child together and there's not much else that could be done," Gene joked. "But if you both live under our roof, you'll need to follow our rules, which means curfew at midnight and we know where you are at all times. Have you talked to your parents about this, Matt?"

"A little bit. I might bring Lisa over there later tonight to really talk to them about it. I don't think they'll have any problems with it."

"What about college, for both of you?" Eva asked.

"I'm already enrolled at NYU for the fall," Matt started. "And I'm guaranteed freshman housing, but Lisa and I were discussing getting an apartment in the same building as Mark's—something that we could have to ourselves. This way I could see Noah all the time, and help Lisa out too."

"That's very mature of you, Matthew. Most guys your age wouldn't have stuck around or even admitted they had a child," Eva smiled at him. "Although I'm a little wary of you living in that apartment building, I suppose having Mark around to keep an eye on you Lisa wouldn't be that bad."

"Thanks Mom."

"So what's the game plan then?" Gene boomed.

"For now, I'll finish out senior year and hopefully graduate. I'll live at home, I guess going back and forth between our house and Matt's. Noah probably won't be released until late May or early June, and by then we should have the apartment and the nursery will be finished—"

"And we'll be moved in," Matt added.

"Exactly. Then we'll live in the city for the summer, Matt will go off to NYU in the fall, and hopefully I can get accepted somewhere and take some classes."

"I'll get a part time job," Matt said, looking up.

"Well damn, looks like you kids have everything figured out. Now only if we could have Mark make some sense of his life, we'll be all set and ready to retire to Florida," Gene laughed.

"We're very proud of you Lisa, for sitting down and talking to us like this and maturely handling the situation. I don't think I could have handled it if I was in your shoes. Cindy would have been a basket case, that's for sure," Eva said.

"Is that all you want to take about, Lisa? Because there's a damn good football game on right now," Gene teased, standing up.

"Gene!" Eva shouted at him. "Don't be rude."

"Yeah, that was about it," Lisa smiled.

"There's some pizza in the kitchen, so if you want, help yourself. Your brother's supposed to stop by later. What's this I hear about his new girlfriend from Mrs. Davis?" she said.

Lisa shook her head. Her mother was retreating back to her old self over Mark. "She's really nice Mom, don't worry. Her name's Jackie, and she's pretty, a dancer."

"Hmm, we'll see." Mrs. Cohen left the living room and returned to the kitchen, leaving Matt and Lisa alone.

"Is it just me or was that not supposed to go that well?" Matt laughed.

"Yeah…I really thought I was going to catch a lot of shit. So how about that pizza?"

"Sure. I just want to grab something for my car though."

"Okay." Matt left, and Lisa went into the kitchen, grabbing two plates and two slices of pizza before bringing them back to her room. She placed them on her dresser before turning on her light. She hadn't been in her room for two months now, and it still looked exactly the same as she left it, down to the outfit she had planned to wear to school the day she decided to leave for the city. Pictures of her and Matt were scattered around the room, along with pictures of various friends she hadn't heard from in an equally long time. She sat on her bed, Indian style, and was in the middle of taking a good, long look around her room again when Matt came in, knocking before he entered.

"Hey," he said. "I brought drinks. Coke okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Lisa said, taking the drink from him and setting it down next to her untouched pizza.

"You okay?"

"Oh—yeah, just thinking. Have you heard from well, any of them?  
  


"Sometimes. Fuck what they think, Lisa. They're going to talk shit, and there's nothing you can do about it. If they were really your friends, they would have called, wouldn't they?"

Lisa nodded. "That's true. What's that?" she asked, pointing to a book in his hand.

Matt smiled and came over to sit next to her. "I made this for your birthday, but when you left, I didn't know when I was going to see you again, so I just kept it in my car for the longest time I was eventually gonna give it to your parents. It's a memory book, of all our pictures."

Lisa smiled as he handed it to her. She rested her head against her shoulder and opened to the first page. "Oh my god," she laughed. "Homecoming of junior year. I can't believe you kept that picture," pointing at the caption on next to it. Matt was decked out in his football uniform, with Lisa in her cheerleading uniform on his shoulders. He was crossing his eyes goofily, and she was laughing. "What a weirdo you were."

"Hey, you weren't any better," Matt laughed playfully. They were both curled up together on her bed, Lisa's head resting on his arm and his other free arm wrapped around her waist. "Oooh Maria's party."

"Don't even go there. We got so wasted," she laughed.

"I know."

They spent the next half hour flipping through the photo album, laughing and sometimes frowning at the memories each picture brought with it. By now, the pizza was cold and untouched. Lisa continued to smile. Christmas, two weeks after he finally asked her out; New Year's Eve '96; Valentine's Day; Lisa clapping for him at Matt's track meets in the spring; the last day of junior year; the pool; the beach; hanging out at home. Random goofy shots, serious ones, and hysterical ones. The first football game of senior year, homecoming once again, Halloween, and then—they stopped.

"That's all I have—for now," Matt said quietly. 

Lisa closed the book and smiled. "Thank you." She leaned up to kiss him, running her fingers through his hair. 

"You're welcome." He pulled out a camera from his hoodie and waved it at her. He grabbed her around her waist and started tickling her, Lisa squirming all over the place and laughing at the same time.

"Smile!" 

________________________________________________________

"Where's that good for nothing son of ours?"

"Frank, please," Sandra said calmly, resting her hand on his arm. "It won't help."

"Did he show up high this time too?" Frank yelled out, slamming his briefcase on the table.

"No—he's clean sweetheart."

"Goddammit Sandy, stop protecting him! You've always protected him, always stood up for him, and look how he's turned out, wasting away in his dump in the city."

Roger stood up; Mimi still curled up on his bed.

"Don't Roger. Let it go," Mimi begged him, reaching out for him.

"No. If he's got something to say to me, he can say it to my fucking face. I'm not letting him talk to my mom like that," Roger said, leaving his room and walking down the hallway. His father was in the living room, deep in conversation with his mother. "Hi Dad."

"Don't give me that hi dad bullshit. What are you doing here? Are you high?" Frank asked, walking closer to him.

Roger shook his head. "As much as you would have liked me to show up her high, I've been clean for almost two years."

"It's about time."

Lindsey appeared in the living room, Marissa resting on her hip. "What's going on?"

"I'm just letting your brother know how much of a failure he is and I'd appreciate if you stayed out of it."

"What, do you get off on talking to people like that?" Roger spat at him, getting in his face. "You've talked to us like this ever since we were little. The only one you adored was _fucking_ Heather. Perfect Heather. Then Jimmy. They were fucking PERFECT in your eyes, and what we were? Absolutely nothing. We're not eleven years old anymore. We're fucking adults, and I'm not taking this bullshit from you anymore!"

"Lindsey take Marissa downstairs," Sandra ordered. Lindsey agreed, and left the room immediately.

"What bullshit? You brought everything on yourself! Fucking shooting up, and showing up here high off your ass. You've done nothing to your life except get your girlfriend pregnant. What about money, Roger? Oh that's right, you don't have any, because you wasted it all away with drugs."

Roger was fuming by now. "Don't you ever fucking bring her into this. Guess what dad? I'm going to be a better father to my kid then you ever were to me. I don't care if that makes me pathetic in your eyes, but my baby is going to be loved—more than you or mom ever gave me. I don't care if I don't have any money, but I'd rather live in a shitty loft with my best friend than in a courtroom with a stick shoved up my ass."

"Get out of my house," Frank shouted, pointing towards the door. "GET OUT."

"Gladly. Mimi, let's go," Roger shouted, walking back down the hall to grab their things. She followed timidly, grabbing onto his arm the whole time. Mark and Jackie were standing, motionless, in the kitchen. "By the way, I have HIV and I'll probably die soon anyway, or isn't that what you want? Later Mark."

"Yeah…" Mark said, lost for words.

Roger flung the duffel bag into the backseat and pulled out of the driveway before Mimi could even shut her door. He sped through the residential streets of Scarsdale, slowing down when he merged onto the Bronx River Parkway. Through all this, Mimi said nothing, staring out the window. Twenty minutes later, the car was still silent. She knew how Roger could get, and she didn't particularly feel like pissing him off even more by adding her opinion.

"Roger?" she asked quietly.

"What?" he said, looking at her angrily. When she didn't answer right away, he tried again, calmly. "What?"

"I'm sorry about everything," she said. Roger shrugged and pulled into the parking lot at the back of the loft, taking the key out of the ignition and sitting in silence for a few minutes. 

"It's not your fault he's an asshole. He's always been that way," he said finally. "As far as I'm concerned, he's not invited to the wedding or aloud to see our baby. If my mom and Lindsey want to come down, that's fine, but I don't want to see him."

Mimi nodded and opened the car door, stepping out into the frozen March air. "I don't care who comes, Roger. We don't have the money for a big wedding."

"I told you to stop worrying about the money," he added, climbing up the stairs as she followed. 

"But we don't have any," she said, raising her voice a little. "How are we supposed to raise a baby when we can barely take care of ourselves. You're never home, and when you are you're always too tired." She slammed the loft door behind her. "It's fucking freezing in here."

"Well excuse me for trying to do something with my life for once instead of dancing around a pole all night," he argued with her, slamming down the glass he had just drank out of to take his pills.

Mimi whipped around and glared at him. "Fuck you."

"When?"

Mimi's eyes narrowed at him. "Excuse me?"

"Maybe I should bring Benny over—"

"I fucking hate you. I can't believe I ever agreed to marry you."

"I can't believe I ever thought we could fix our fucking problems," he shouted back at her.

"OUR fucking problems? More like YOUR problems, Roger. It's been three years and you're still sulking over April, over heroin, over yourself. You're back to the same routine—hanging out with the guys, never coming home. What's next, fucking some random girl behind my back?" she yelled out, her eyes watering. 

"YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT APRIL!"

"I'm done arguing with you. I'm going to lie down. I didn't feel good in the first place, but you just make me fucking sick sometimes. As much as I really love you, I hate you right now," she said, slamming the door to their room so hard the picture rattled on the wall.

Roger took one look at the door and stormed out of the loft himself.

______________________________________________

Mimi had just stepped out of the shower and was running some gel through her curls when she heard a knock at the door. Slipping into a pair of sweatpants and making sure her robe was tied around her, she reentered the cold loft and opened the door to find none other than Maureen standing outside.

"Surprise!" she screeched, running in and giving Mimi a hug. "Oh sweetie, it's so cold in here!"

"Yeah. The heater broke. Want some coffee?" she offered monotonously, making her way into the kitchen. "You're home for the weekend?"

"Yup. I have some news…I'm engaged!" she blurted out, practically dancing around the living room. Mimi forced a smile and poured two cups of coffee, setting them down on the kitchen counter.

"Huh, so am I. Or well, I was," Mimi said, trying to be enthusiastic but failing miserably at it. Maureen noticed the glum expression on her face and immediately tried to cheer her up.

"Oh Meems, what happened? Did you guys get into another fight?"

"Something like that. We went up to Scarsdale this weekend with everyone to visit and to help Lindsey move into her apartment, and everything was fine until Roger's dad got home, and then all hell broke loose. It was horrible. We came back here, and got into a fight, I told him I never should have agreed to marry him and he stormed out."

"Honey, you know how he is. He'll be back. I know it," Maureen said, smiling at her. "His mood swings are notorious."

"I know that, but how are we supposed to plan a wedding and get ready for the baby when we can't keep from shouting about every little thing that goes wrong? I told him I wanted to get married in May, because we'd have no time to get married after the baby's born because we'll be so busy, but now it's like—he's always at the club and never home. I can't rely on him if he's never around to help me out." She took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. "Where's Chad?"

"Downstairs sleeping. The jet lag wore him out," Maureen smiled.

"More like you wore him out. So when's this wedding supposed to take place?"

"Well, we were thinking about New Year's Eve of this year, just to put a little twist on it. It'll probably be huge—all of Chad's extended family is going to attend and people from the company along with friends. We're talking about an easy 500 people. Of course I want you to be my maid of honor, or matron of honor, whichever one it is. We're most likely going to have it in Los Angeles, because that's where his family lives. I guess we could always fly mine out from Chicago, although I haven't spoken to my parents in over a year now." Maureen rambled.

"Calm down before you blow a fuse in the place. I still have to plan my own wedding—or lack thereof," Mimi added sarcastically, stirring her coffee.

"How much longer until you find out what you're having?" Maureen asked, sipping her coffee as well before drawing her jacket closer around her shoulders.

"Good question. I'd say in April. I need to get back to the doctor soon."

"I still can't get over the fact that you're having a baby. It hasn't hit me yet," Maureen said, shivering a little.

"Hit you? It hasn't really hit me yet either," Mimi said, cracking a smile. "I don't know what kind of Mom I'm going to be. That's what scares me."

"I think everyone worries about what kind of Mom they'll be. Joanne and I used to talk about kids sometimes, but—whatever, I'm not going into her right now."

"Are you inviting her to the wedding? I'm sure that'll go over really well," Mimi teased.

"Hah. Funny. I bet Benny at yours will blow the fucking roof off the church."

"Better get the bells and whistles ready ahead of time," Mimi said, laughing. "I guess Hawaii's up in the air for now."

Maureen's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "Oh sweetie, you should go! I bet all you both need is to just get out of the city and spend sometime alone without Mark, Roger's band, or anyone up your ass. It'll help."

"I guess. I hope he comes home soon," Mimi added, checking the clock on the wall. "It's almost 9."

"Shit, is it really? I told Chad I'd be home by 9 anyway. I have some things for Noah back at my place, and I wanted to give them to Lisa, but—when is she getting back?" Maureen questioned.

"Sunday night, I think? I'm not really sure. We left in such a hurry I didn't even say goodbye to Mark and Jackie, and Lisa was out with Cindy."

Maureen made a face at the mention of Cindy. "Well, I guess I'll bring everything by tomorrow. Tell Roger to get his act together or I'll kick his ass with my five inch boots," she threatened.

"I'll be sure to pass along that message Mo. It'll go over real well," Mimi laughed.

"Did you—um, did you see the marks on Lisa's arm that night? When she went into labor?" Maureen asked quietly.

Mimi shook her head. "No, not really. Why?"

"I don't know. You can't tell Mark this, okay? Because he'll flip."

"Yeah, okay. What?"

"They looked like track marks, at least that's what Roger said," Maureen said, almost checking to see if anyone was listening in on her conversation.

"Why would she--? That's serious; I mean, I would know, right? And so would Roger. You're right, Mark would definitely flip, but it doesn't match it. I know how someone acts when they're high, especially on heroin, and I've been around her so much lately and she's been acting completely normal. Even Mark would notice the symptoms."

"Maybe she's stopped, god I hope so at least."

"Maybe we're just all jumping to conclusions. I bet there's an explanation for everything," Mimi added.

"Let's hope so."

Around 11, Roger reentered the loft, making sure to shut the door quietly behind him. He had spent the last four hours walking around the city, trying to clear his head, and even ended up at Collins and Dan's apartment for some much needed advice. Collins took so much pity on him he even let him borrow his extra space heater, bringing the loft's grand total to three.

He found Mimi stretched out on the couch, two blankets wrapped around her. The television was reflecting off her small-rimmed reading glasses that she wore occasionally, since she often complained that her contacts were starting to irritate her eyes. He had to admit, they looked cuter on her than on, well—Mark. He continued staring at her, thinking she was asleep, until she moved her head and looked right back at him.

"Hey," she said calmly, although Roger sensed some coldness evident in her tone.

"Hi," he answered, just as coolly as she had. 

"Where were you?"

"I uh—well I took a walk around the city, and then I stopped at Collins' place and borrowed his extra heater, and if you don't believe me, you can ask him yourself."

Mimi shrugged. "Why wouldn't I believe you?"

"I don't know." Roger took a seat next to her and studied the TV. "What are you watching?"

"A biography on VH1 on Jimi Hendrix," she answered, handing some of the blanket down to him. After ten minutes of watching the biography silently, she eventually curled up against him, and he wrapped his arm around her body.

"I'm sorry about everything I said before. I didn't mean it—I was stressed and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I swear I'll try to be home more often," he apologized, his eyes begging her for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have brought up those things—it wasn't the right time," she replied, yawning. "I don't hate you either."

"So we're okay? And still semi engaged?" he joked, stretching his arms over his head.

"Yeah, we are. We're patched."

"Good, because I'm tired. Wanna make it an early night?" he asked, turning off the TV.

Mimi nodded and yawned once again. "I'm too lazy to get up right now."

"Then I guess I'll have to carry you to bed."

"As seductive as that sounds, I'm way too tired to even think about that," she laughed.

"Damn," he teased, picking her up effortlessly and walking with her to the bedroom. He placed her gently on the bed before going back to get the heater and plug it in with the two other that were still in the room. "Tonight's the first night we've had the loft to ourselves in awhile."

"We have tomorrow morning too," Mimi winked at him, half asleep underneath the sheets.

Roger climbed in next to her and kissed her forehead. "Good, because I'm taking you up on that. I love you."

"I love you too. Night."

Roger reached over and turned out the light, quickly falling into a deep sleep.


	22. 22

BEFORE YOU WAKE

Chapter 22

[A/N: Okay guys, here's what's up: I've decided that I can't stand the title **One Week** anymore, partly because when I first started this story I never meant for it to last longer than a mere six or seven chapters and the title was suitable back then. I've decided to rename it to **Before You Wake**, because I think it has more significance than plain old "One Week". I'm eventually planning on adding a prologue—sometime, but never fear, this story isn't even CLOSE to being wrapped up. I haven't really decided if I want to keep it as one long novel setup, or break it into a sequel, but we'll see. I'm actually very proud of myself for continuing along with it for so long, it's a definite record for me.

Anyway, in this and a couple of the chapters to follow, you'll get to see my take on Mimi's family, so enjoy, and review. Wow, I almost have 100 reviews already! *dances*

33 love you guys.

_________________________________

By the time Mimi awoke the next morning, it was significantly warmer in the apartment. Roger was gone, and as she got up to go into the kitchen to take her pills, she noticed a note tacked to the mirror in the bedroom.

Baby— 

_Went to get some groceries, left around 9, be back within an hour._

_Love, _

_Roger_

She half smiled, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was quarter to 10 now. He'd be back in no time. She had just settled herself on the couch with a cup of coffee when the phone started ringing. Figuring it was Mark, she reached for it lazily on the third ring.

"Hello?"

Right on time, Roger entered the loft and set the two bags of groceries onto the kitchen counter, before making his way over to Mimi. He tried to kiss her on the neck, but she pushed him away and stood up with the phone, walking away from him. 

"What's wrong?" he said quietly, noticing how her face had fallen. She started carrying on the conversation in Spanish, and defeated, Roger took a seat and flicked through the tv channels instead.

Ten minutes later, Mimi hung up the phone and then silently walked over to the window, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Babe? What's wrong?" Roger asked again from the couch. Mimi turned to look at him, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"That was my…sister, Carmen. My father had a heart attack last night. In Argentina."

Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi and rested his chin on the top of her head as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Ohh. I'm sorry. I thought you didn't talk to your father?"

"I—well, I'm going, to Buenos Aires, I guess, and no, I haven't spoken to him in three years. My mother booked two tickets for me—I guess she remembered about me mentioning you. Figures I'm the last to know about everything all the time."

"I thought your parents were divorced?" Roger questioned, taking her hands in his.

"They are. Carmen, her husband, and my other sister Isabel are held up in Panama right now because of the weather. She said their flight should be leaving in an hour for Buenos Aires. My mother, my stepfather Carl my younger sister Veronica are at the airport right now. She said I have two tickets booked for the 6:30 flight, first class, tonight and that she doesn't think my father's going to make it through the next two days, at least that's what my aunt Sofia told her."

Roger's head was spinning. There were way too many names to remember and keep straight. "So wait, why's your father in Argentina?"

Mimi stared at him testily. "Here's my life in a nutshell. My father and mother were both born in Buenos Aires and married. They came to the United States right after they had me, divorcing two years after they had Veronica. My father's well, a doctor, and he's rich, so he went back to Argentina to work at the hospitals there, and my mother me, and my sisters stayed in New York City. We used to spend summers in Argentina after the divorce, and then eventually my mother remarried Carl, an accountant."

"Okay, so I'm assuming we're gonna need passports?" Roger said, resting his hand on her hip. 

Mimi's eyes widened in shock. "Oh god, please tell me you have a passport," she practically shouted at him.

"Yeah, I spent one summer in Italy to see my dad's distant relatives. Problem is, it's back in Scarsdale, and the only way you'd get me up there is to heavily sedate me and promise me sexual favors," Roger joked.

"Umm. Okay. Let's hope it's not expired. Do you think there's any way it can get here by 4 PM?" she asked, pulling her hair up.

Roger looked at the phone and nodded. "Yeah, I'll call my mom and find out. Hopefully that asshole won't pick up."

"Okay. I'm going to get the bags and start packing. Okay—shit…"

"Mimi, breathe," Roger reminded her, picking up the phone and pressing it against his ear.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." She ran off into the bedroom and started rummaging through the closet.

Roger dialed the number, and after two rings Lindsey picked up.

"Hello?"

"Linds, it's Roger."

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck happened before?" she whispered into the phone. "You should see Mom, she's a mess!"

"Yeah, I know but---okay I can't talk about that right now. Do you know where the passports are?"

"What? Yeah, Mom has them in her drawer. Why?"

"Mimi's got a family emergency in Argentina and I need my passport to get out of the country."

"You're leaving without resolving this?"

"Lindsey can you get the passport to me or not?"

"Yeah. I can."

"By 4 PM? Our flight leaves at 6:30."

"Fine. I'll be there around noon."

"Is Mark there?"

"Yeah, he's sitting right here."

"Put him on?"

"Yep." Lindsey handed the phone to Roger and ran off to get the passports.

"Hello?" Mark asked. Roger explained the situation to him quickly, in all ways trying to avoid what he liked to call a "Mark tantrum".

"So you're going?" Mark asked, breathing softly into the phone.

"Yeah. It's not like I'm letting my three month pregnant girlfriend onto a plane for twelve hours by herself," Roger said, sharply.

"Okay, jeez. When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. Maybe by Wednesday latest. I didn't really ask her."

"You're still going to Hawaii, right? Your flight leaves the 17th," Mark reminded him.

"It's only the 9th. We'll be home in time. Is it just me or does somebody have it in for us, because these past three months have been hell."

"You got that right. Well, I guess I'll see you when I get back?"

"Yeah. Bye," Roger said, hanging up the phone. He paused for a minute to stare at the wall, comtemplating how things kept getting more and more complicated as the months progressed. He hoped that by the time they got back from Hawaii, everything would be drama free and remain that way. He walked over to the bedroom, knocking on the doorframe. Mimi was wedged halfway in the closet, trying to pull something out from the back.

Roger had the urge to laugh at her, because you could barely see her tiny form sticking out, but realized this probably wasn't the right time. "What are you doing?"

Mimi pulled herself out of the closet, holiding a pair of flip flops in her hands. "I just realized something. It's summer in Argentina," she replied meekly.

"What? How?"

"Roger. The seasons are flipped. Since it's winter here, it's summer there. You have summer clothes, right?" she asked him, shaking her head. 

"Yeah." He started going through the bottom drawer of the dresser, tossing shorts and a few tshirts into the duffel bag that had recently been emptied by Mimi. Mimi's bag was already full, stacked with sweatpants and a few pairs of loose workout shorts since her shorts and skirts from last summer were tight around her waist. Instead of sweaters and hoodies, tank tops had been added, followed by three pairs of flip flops. Roger however, was still trying to figure out what he was going to take.

"How much do I need?" he asked, adding a few more tshirts to his pile.

"Take at least four days worth of everything. I'm sure we'll be back by at least Thursday. Do you have a suit…or anything?" she said, biting her lip.

"Uh…well…"

Mimi sighed. "What about borrowing one of Mark's?"

"Mark's like…six inches shorter than me. There's no way the pants are gonna fit."

"Okay, then we're fucked. What about dress pants?" Roger shook his head sheepishly.

"Wait, let me call Lindsey back. She'll bring me something of Jimmy's. We're the same height." He ran out to use the phone again, as Mimi continued packing for him. 

_________________________________________

Five minutes later, Mimi had just zipped both of their duffel bags. She had found her knee length black dress that she had worn to Angel's funeral in the back of their closet, still in the garment bag and untouched. It would be a tight fit, which was exactly why she had brought a black sweater to wear over it—to camoflauge her protruding belly and so the rest of her family wouldn't ask questions about her pregnancy. They didn't need to know—and she'd keep it that way. Aside from her mother, she doubted any of her immediate family knew.

She looked up from the bed to find Roger already back in the room. "Yeah, she's bringing one of his suits up. She's pissed at me, but whatever. Okay, so the clothes are packed. What about your pills, my pills, your vitamins and iron pills?"

"I'll get them in a minute. I better bring Tylenol with us too. Don't drink the water down their either, just as a precaution. You'll spend the whole time in the bathroom. Get bottled everything," she reminded him. 

"What about the heating pad for your back?"

"Packed. We'll just need an adapter, and their should be one at my dad's house. The wiring's different down there. Did you call Wes and let him know you'll be skipping  band practice on Monday? What about Collins, does he know we're leaving?"

Roger left the room again to make some more phone calls, and Mimi quickly changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a tank top, throwing her hoodie over it. "Write Mark a note to remind him to buy that damn heater!" she shouted over.

"Okay!" Roger yelled back, on the phone with Wes. Within a few minutes he was off. "Uh babe, you said your mom's already on the plane. Where's our tickets?"

"At the airport. We'll get them when we check in."

"Okay." Mimi looked down and away from him then, pretending to be preoccupied with the zipper on the bag. Roger took the hit and walked away, silently, closing the door behind him. The minute she knew he was gone, she walked over to the mirror and stared at her reflection in the dim light. She'd been seventeen years old the last time she had seen any of her family, and she couldn't help but wonder if they'd think any different of her.

The truth is, she _was_ different. 

Fuck her family if they couldn't bring themselves to realize that.

___________________________________

"Mimi, you want a sandwich?" Roger asked, taking out the bread from the cabinet.

"Uh, no," she said, looking up from the couch. She was searching through a shoebox full of papers.

"You sure? You haven't eaten anything since last night. How about some crackers?"

"I said no, Roger," she said harshly, setting a few papers on her lap. Roger shrugged and turned around, finishing his sandwhich before sitting down next to her.

"What's that?" he asked, through a mouthful of peanut butter.

"Chew and swallow. Um, just my passport and a few phone numbers. Old photo ID. You know." 

Roger reached over and opened the passport, looking at the picture. "Wow, how old are you here?"

Mimi looked over at the picture in his lap. "Probably sixteen."

"Wow. You were hot for a sixteen year old," he laughed. "I didn't know your name was Marcela."

"Yep. Marcela Concepcion Marquez. Kind of a mouthful, but everyone's called me Mimi since I was three years old. I guess Carl's a decent enough guy, but I just never took his last name. Marquez-Wright. Hmm, okay," she laughed.

"Yeah, understandable," Roger agreed, pulling her onto his lap and kissing the side of her neck. He almost had her bra unhooked when the doorbell buzzed.

"And—that—would—be—my—sister," he said in between kisses. "Great fucking timing."

Mimi laughed and quickly adjusted herself as Roger got up to answer the door. Marissa came toddling in, running right to Roger and wrapping herself around his leg. "Hey there," he greeted, scooping her up. Marissa giggled and laughed, waving a pudgy hand at Mimi over Roger's shoulder.

"Hey yourself," Lindsey greeted grumpily, handing him the suit.

"Be nice to your brother."

"Mom?"

Sandra dug around in her purse and pulled out Roger's passport and handed it to him. Roger placed Marissa down on the ground, and she ran back over to Lindsey. "Just please, be careful over there, okay?" She pulled him in for a hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick? Oh sweetie," she whispered.

"I know Mom. I'm sorry. I didn't know how."

Mimi stood back, surveying the scene from the couch.

"Well, we'll talk about this when you get back. I'm sorry to hear about everything, Mimi. I'll keep your family in my prayers."

"Thank you Mrs. Davis."

"Well, we just wanted to stop by to drop off the passport and the suit, but we have to get going anyway. Your grandmother wants to go shopping for paint samples for her kitchen." Sandra gave Roger another hug and a quick kiss on his cheek. "Call if you need anything?"

"Sure."

Lindsey picked up Marissa and gave Roger a half hug. "Bye bro. Bring me something good from Argentina," she winked.

"I'll try."

"Bye Mimi."

"Bye." Roger closed the door behind them and slumped up against it. 

"I'm kind of hungry now," Mimi shrugged, making her way into the kitchen. 

"Figures when I want to make something, you're not."

"Yeah, because **you're** making it," she laughed.

_____________________________________________

By 5, Roger was tipping the cab driver and dragging the duffels out of the trunk. Mimi was standing on the curb near the international departure signs at Newark Airport, her hands in her jacket, watching. Roger had insisted that she let him carry the bags, even though she had argued that she was more than capable.

"So where to?" he asked, as the cab pulled away from the curb.

"Dump the bags off here. They'll take care of it," she answered, pointing to a man standing behind a small desk with a conveyor belt attached. Roger did so, and then latched onto Mimi's hand before walking inside. They first made their way over to the check in counter, surprised that the line wasn't too long.

Forty minutes later, their passports were stamped and they had their tickets and boarding passes. As they passed through security, Roger took his passport out again and looked at it.

"Mine expires next Friday," he laughed, shoving it back in his pocket and ruffling Mimi's hair. They found two seats by the window and Mimi stretched out, head in Roger's lap.

"So what's your family gonna think of me?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"I'm sure they'll love you. The only person they're not too fond of right now is me," she reminded him. "I'm just going to say goodbye to my father. I'm surprised they even called to tell me he was dying," she snorted angrily. She propped herself up again, and Roger wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"I'm sorry," he said, drawing her closer to him. A few silent minutes passed, his eyes scanning the crowded terminal.

"Roger?"

"Yeah baby?"

"I'm scared. I'm scared to go back—to see him die. I might not have seen him for three years, but I still love him the same," she said quietly.

"I know I might not be much, but I'll be there for you, through everything, okay?" he said, kissing her forehead. 

"You're everything to me, and I know I don't tell you that enough, but you are. I mean it," she said just as quietly as before.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"_Ladies and gentleman, we are about to begin the boarding process for flight 202, service to Buenos Aires, Argentina. _ _The estimated time for this flight is 13 hours, 20 minutes. We'll now be boarding our first class passengers, rows 1 through 8, as well as our passengers with small children. Please have your passports and boarding passes out. Thank you."_

"First class, huh? Free bar," he teased, as they walked through the checkpoint and onto the plane. 

"Oh, honestly," she said, finding their seats and stowing the carryon bag on in the overhead compartment. "I'm in love with these seats right now. Do you want window or aisle?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Good, because I had dibs on the window seat anyway and you would have lost," she winked, sinking into the leather seat and closing her eyes briefly.

"Says the grumpy, pregnant woman…"

"…that you love," she added. "Rog, can you hand me those pillows? I need them for my back."

"Of course, honey," he said, mocking her. She shot him a look and placed the one pillow behind her back and the other behind her head. 

"Oh, and Roger? How about that blanket too? It's cold in here."

Roger laughed and spread the blanket out over her. She sighed and ditched the pillow for his shoulder.

_"Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. In order for an ontime departure, I'd like to ask you all at this time to find your designated seat and make sure your tray tables are in an upright and locked position. We're looking at a quick and easy flying time, scheduled at a little over thirteen hours. Conditions are clear in Buenos Aires tonight, with a temperature rounding out at about 81 degrees…"_

"I hate when they do that," Mimi muttered. "You can't even hear them half the time."

"You want some cheese with that whine?" Roger laughed, poking her in her side.

"Roger, that's about the corniest thing I ever heard. I can't believe you said that," she said, staring up at him.

"I know. Want to hear another corny joke?"

Mimi raised an eyebrow at him. "Just shut up and watch the inflight movie."

"Ouch."

_____________________________

NEXT UP: Back to Scarsdale and the Cohen family dinner; Mimi and Roger arrive in Buenos Aires.


	23. 23

CHAPTER 23

_____________

*** 

SUNDAY MORNING

MARCH 9th

11 AM

"Good morning," Mark yawned into Jackie's ear. She stirred a little before opening her eyes completely.

"Morning," she answered, perhaps a little less eagerly then expected. She sat up and pulled her straight hair into a twist as Mark stood up to change.

After Roger and Mimi left, Mrs. Davis insisted that they stay for dinner and the night. Mr. Davis had left, leaving Mark and Jackie with just Mrs. Davis, Lindsey and Marissa. Mark and Jackie had ended up sleeping in Roger's old room, and without him there, Mark had to admit it was awkward. Jackie had been more and more distant as the weekend progressed, and he was worried. She had spent all of last night tossing and turning. He didn't know what was going on with her, but he had a feeling she was still coping with Natalie's death and didn't want to talk to anyone about it. He didn't want to be an asshole and force anything on her if she didn't want to.

By lunchtime, Mark and Jackie were saying their goodbyes to Roger's family and on their way to Mark's house. Since it was only two blocks down, Mark had opted to walk, considering their car was now sitting back at the loft.

"So…um, we'll leave right after dinner tonight? I called ahead last night and booked two tickets on the train," he said, breaking the silence.

She nodded. "Fine."

Mark sighed and continued walking. "I can't believe Roger and Mimi are in Argentina. It must be nice there."

"I wouldn't know. I haven't been there," Jackie replied harshly. Mark opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, not wanting to get into a fight with her right here. She noticed and stared at him, almost daring him to say whatever was on his mind. "Go ahead."

"No, forget it."

"No, you obviously have something to say. Get it out," she said, testing him. She had stopped and was resting her hands on her slender hips.

"I just want to know what's wrong. You haven't acted like yourself since we got here," he said calmly. 

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "If it makes you happier, I'll pretend that my best friend didn't just die and that I don't feel sick to my stomach every time I fucking think about her, but only if it makes you happy Mark."

Mark stopped walking and stared at her. "What the hell was that?"

"What did it sound like?" she said back venomously.

"Jackie, come on, that wasn't fair," he protested.  She stopped and gaped at him, and Mark swore he saw a few tears slide down her cheeks.

"I want to go home," she said, seriously. "I'll just call a cab or something, and I'll leave, because I can't take this right now. My head's about to cave in."

Mark shifted from side to side. "Well, if that's what you want, I guess I'll see you later tonight." He turned and kissed her on the top of her head, and they both ended up walking in opposite directions, no questions asked.

Jackie was even surprised he let her go that easily. 

___________________________________

Three hours later, she found herself curled up on the beaten loft couch, a bottle of vodka by her feet and four empty shot glasses scattered near her. It wasn't even 5 PM and she was wasted off her ass. She hadn't gotten drunk for at least a good two years. Jackie Ferrell, always the responsible drinker.

"Not today…" she giggled out loud, swinging her hand in front of her face and almost smacking herself with it. 

Having a roommate that was a bartender definitely had its perks. "Thank _you_ Roger, for your…wonderful supply of all things alcoholic," she slurred, taking another sip straight from the bottle. "You're absolutely wonderful. Absolut."

She stood up, still holding the bottle of vodka in her hand and stumbled to grab it. "Yeah, okay, Jac-kieee, we're going to walk this off. Yes we are," she giggled some more. "I'm talking to myself again."

She stumbled down the loft steps and headed straight for Tompkins Square Park. "I drank tequiiilaaa tonight 'cause I can't have your lips tonight, I don't want to feel ya…I don't want to feel sad tonight! You make me suffer and you just don't know…" she wailed, jogging down the sidewalks. She only received a few strange looks, considering it was a Sunday, and not many people were out. 

"Ah shit," she cursed. It had started to rain, and it soaked through her tee shirt and jeans, but she continued walking to the park anyway. "It's a nice day to start again, a nice day for a white wedding…yeah…" she said, finding her way over to the fountain in the middle. By now, it was pouring. Jackie crawled over to an empty bench and sprawled out on it, staring into the cloudy sky. 

"Well Natalie, I can't say I love you right now, because…no, I don't. I hate you, you left me, blah blah blah. It's so boring around here, why did you have to go? I think I'm going to quit dancing, unless I can dance to the tequila song…you know the one where there's all that music…bah dum dum duh dum dum dum dum…tequila! Yeah. That one, and there's just one word…tequila. What do you care, you're floating on a cloud so…fuck that."

She continued staring off into the sky and started laughing when a fat raindrop hit her square in the eye. "You know what else? Mark. He's such a pain in the ass. Man, do I love that guy, but talk about clingy? He's like one of those little dryer sheets that always get stuck to your clothes. I think he's really worried about me, but why? I'm perfectly fine!" she yelled out to no one in particular. "That's right, I'm fine. F-I-N-E. Oh, fuck it, I need a nap."

She closed her eyes and inhaled the cold, misty air. 

"Jackie."

"What?!" she practically shouted, looking around, her gaze finally landing on the fountain. "Oh stop it April. Get down from there, you're going to break your fucking neck."

April laughed and shook her head. "I'm already dead."

Jackie opened one eye and half sat up. "Oh yeaaa…you kind of are. How is it?"

"Jesus, how much did you have to drink?" she asked, hopping down from the fountain and walking over to her, hands shoved in her hoodie pockets.

Jackie held out her hands and shrugged. "Ohh I don't know. Five shots of vodka…some tequila, maybe a beer or two. Want one? I can get you one! C'mon April, you gotta have one with me," she begged.

April sighed and took a seat next to her. "Move over. We've gotta talk."

"You're looking kind of pale there April. Kind of see through. Maybe you should see a doctor. Hell, I think I need one," Jackie said, sliding over to make room for April.

April cracked a smile and shook her head. "How's Roger?"

"He's absolut-ly great. ABSOLUT. Haha," Jackie laughed. "He's bartending and playing with the Dutch…Romanian…?

"Well Hungarians?" April corrected.

"Yep. That's the one."

"And Mimi?"

"Pregnant. Whoa, is she ever pregnant. Hmmmm kids. I had a kid once. I mean, not really, but I was pregnant with one, and then that stupid bastard Joshua threw me down the stairs and the kid wasn't there the next day. Huh," Jackie said, rubbing her head a little. "My head hurts."

"It'll hurt more tomorrow," April reminded her, feeling her forehead. "Honey, your head is burning up. Are you sick?"

"I don't know. I wasn't feeling to great this morning, but now I feel…a-okay," Jackie answered. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. How's my brother?"

"He's in Cali-for-n—ia. Los Angeles. Broke his leg. Hey, how come Natalie can't get her ass down here and talk to me?"

"I figured you'd be more responsive to me," April smiled. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. Is Harvey gonna be okay?" Jackie asked, now resting her head in April's lap.

"I know he will. He's hurting like hell right now, but eventually he'll find someone to move on with, just like you moved away from Josh with Mark. Speaking of Mark, he really likes you, you know? You're not doing anyone any favors by pushing him away."

"I know. It hurts really bad, April."

April stroked Jackie's hair and sighed. "I know it does, and Mark's trying to help you, but you've gotta let him in, okay? I want you to go back to dancing, and maybe even go see a therapist. I want you to get better. Don't take the easy way out."

Jackie looked up at April and nodded. "I don't have any friends here. You and Natalie deserted me."

"We didn't desert you. Fate just got in the way."

"Fate's a pain in the ass and I hate him," Jackie mouthed, scowling.

"I know," April laughed. "I've gotta get going, but I wanted to talk some sense into you. Tell Roger—well, don't tell him, because I know him and Mimi fight over me, but give Roger a hug for me?"

"Okay," Jackie whispered. "I love you April."

"I love you too. Watch out for my brother, and Roger, for me, okay? It'll get better sweetie, it always does." She bent over to give Jackie a quick hug and stood up. "It's cold out here. You're gonna get sick."

"Already am. No sense in trying to fend it off now," Jackie smirked.

"You're so stubborn." April laughed, turned and walked away, and eventually Jackie couldn't see her anymore. She closed her eyes again and opened them, feeling her own forehead. She really was burning up, and her own eyesight was blurry. 

"I think I'll just sleep here for the night. Good idea," she whispered to herself, wrapping her arms around her soaked body.

"JACKIE!"

"Oh, fuck me," she said grumpily. Seconds later, she felt someone wrap their jacket around her and lift her up easily. "I hope to god you're not a mugger," she said, squinting at her person's face. "For Christ's sakes Mark, put me down, because I'm mad at you." She poked him in his chest and tried to squirm out of his grip, but he only held her tighter.

"Jackie, it's forty degrees out here. Are you insane?" Mark said, trying to warm her up and carry her back to the loft at the same time.

"Don't start lecturing me now. You're not my mother. And yes, maybe I am insane. You'd like that, wouldn't you? How about you have a drink with me right now? ABSOLUT-ly entertaining!"

"How much did you have to drink?" he asked, feeling her forehead. "You have a fever."

"Well duh, Sherlock. April said the same thing, and I don't know how much I had to drink. Enough to knock me off my feet, I suppose."

"April? You talked to April?" He was already on the third story landing of the building.

"Sure I did. She floated down from her cloud and checked up on me."

Mark sighed and opened the loft door. He placed Jackie on the couch and ran off to the bathroom to run the water in the tub. Jackie was only resting on the couch for a full minute before she leaned over and threw up. "Now that was NOT absolut-ly fun," she moaned, resting her head between her knees.

Mark came out from the bathroom and took a seat next to her, rubbing her back. "How do you feel?"

"Like…shit. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he said, grabbing some towels and throwing them onto the floor. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes I do. I treated you like shit, and then I got drunk, and I had a conversation with myself on a bench in the park. You hate me."

Mark laughed, but Jackie glared at him. "I don't hate you."

"Liar."

"How about a bath?" he questioned, helping her stand up.

"Okay." Mark had her sit on the edge of the tub as he tested the water. Jackie quickly stripped off her shirt as Mark turned around and blushed. "Wow Mark, it's amazing how you can put it in me every night but not be able to look at me naked."

Jackie was finished in twenty minutes, after slipping into a tshirt and sweatpants. She had to practically hold onto to Mark in order to get dressed. 

"Maybe I should take your temperature?" he asked, as she started coughing violently. 

"Yeah, maybe," she croaked. "But after I throw up again."

Mark sighed once more and rubbed her back, making sure she was finished before taking out the thermometer. Jackie bent over the sink and rinsed her mouth out before placing the thermometer in. 

"102.4. No wonder you're feeling crummy," he said quietly. Jackie curled up against him on the bathroom floor and rested her head on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Jackie shakily rose to her feet and Mark led her to the bedroom. After tucking her in, he walked back to the bathroom and brought two pills of Tylenol with him. "These'll make you feel better and bring your temperature down." He held them out to her and she swallowed them easily with the glass of water her provided.

"Mark? Can you lay with me?" she asked quietly. He nodded and climbed into bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her warm body. "I'm sorry I ruined your visit to Scarsdale. What did your mom say?"

"I just told her that you weren't feeling well and that she'd have to meet you some other time. She understood, and I made it through dinner without any members of my family threatening each other," he laughed. Jackie nodded and pulled herself a little closer to him. 

"I'm sorry I've been pushing you away. I need you, I really do, okay?"

"I know," he answered back. "Just get some rest and we'll talk about everything in the morning."

"Goodnight," she whispered. 

"Night."

______________________________________

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Monday, March 10th

9 AM (11 AM EST)

"I have got to piss so fricken bad."

Roger's and Mimi's plane had landed in Ministro Pistarini airport twenty minutes before. It had been a comfortable flight for Roger. He had his free bar and enough in flight movies to keep him occupied and out of Mimi's hair. Mimi, on the other hand, was pretty miserable.

"So uh, which way to the bathrooms?" Roger asked, glancing around. Mimi smiled—he looked so confused and lost. A majority of the signs were in Spanish, but a few had English subtitles underneath.

"Cuartos de baño," she corrected. "Are that way."

"Yeah…cuartos of whatever," he said, stumbling over the pronunciation. They reached the bathrooms, and Roger went into the men's side and Mimi into the ladies. Five minutes later they were out and walking into customs and immigration.

"What's that sign say?" he asked, pointing behind the customs booth. 

"Puerto Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Aire. Port of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Good Air," she translated. "You have a lot to learn."

"Thanks," he laughed, kissing the top of her head. "How's your back?"

"Oh it hurts like a bitch. I way cramped up for way too long. Are you tired?" she asked, wrapping her arm around him as the line for immigration inched up.

"Yeah, a little."

"We'll take a nap once we get settled in at my aunt's house," Mimi reminded him. "You'll love her cooking. The best, no lie. I'm starving anyway."

"You just ate."

"Shitty plane food doesn't count as a real meal," she laughed.

"I agree with you on that," he said, handing their passports to the clerk.

"Gracias," Mimi said, as she stamped them. Mimi placed them back in her bag and they were off to baggage claim. "We need to get a taxi to Recoleta."

"Okay." Roger grabbed the two duffels and slung them over his shoulder as he followed Mimi to the taxi stand near the airport exit. "How far is the city from here?"

"About 35 miles. We're in Ezeiza, which is in the suburbs. Kind of like how Newark is on the suburbs of Manhattan."

__________________________________________

When the cab driver drove through the streets of Recoleta, Roger's forehead was practically glued to the window. "Holy shit, look at the size of these houses," he said, pulling on Mimi's arm.

"Yeah, um, I know," she answered quietly. 

Roger looked back at her, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Mimi shook her head. "No, not really, but I will be."

Roger nodded and took her hand in his. "Does your aunt speak English?"

"Yep. Most people do here, because it's taught as a second language in schools, but usually when my family gets together we all speak Spanish, because everyone understands it, but I'll translate for you, and once everyone realizes you're here they'll speak English to you, not Spanish."

"Okay," he smiled. The cab driver pulled into a concrete driveway, and turned back to look at Mimi.

"Who do I ask for?" he said, his thick accent almost drowning out his words.

"Sofia Marquez Ladrero."

"And your name?"

"Mimi Marquez." The cab driver was allowed through the gates and pulled to a stop right in front of them. Mimi reached over to pay him and slid out, Roger following behind her. He once again collected the bags, and once the cab pulled out of the driveway, they were heading up the path towards the house. "I know it's big."

"I didn't know—well, you know—"

"That my father was so wealthy? The only other person that ever knew was Angel. She came with me here one summer. She loved it," Mimi said sadly. "It's not something I chose to share with people."

"Yeah."

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" she said, reaching for his hand again. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you ahead of time."

"No, it's fine." Roger cleared his throat and kissed her lightly before they reached the door. "Ready?"

"I guess so."

"Do I knock, or ring the doorbell?"

"Try the doorbell," Mimi answered. Roger could tell she was nervous and pulled her a little closer to him. The door opened slowly, and a petite blonde stood in front of them. Her bronze skin accented her hazel eyes, and Roger noticed how closely she resembled Mimi, minus her straight hair. 

"Mimi?! How are you? Oh my god!" she cried, reaching for Mimi and pulling her in for a hug. "You look wonderful."

"It's been a long time," Mimi answered. 

"Three years. That's too long," the girl laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She was dressed in shorts and tank top, her bathing suit top visible from underneath. "I was just about to go to the beach."

"Mar del Plata?" Mimi asked, laughing. "I haven't been there in forever."

"I'm taking you tomorrow."

Mimi noticed Roger uncomfortably shifting from side to side. "Oh, Celeste, this is my boyfriend Roger. Roger, my cousin Celeste," she introduced. 

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. How do you like Buenos Aires so far?" she asked, shaking his hand politely.

"From what I've seen, it's pretty nice," he smiled. 

"Celeste, who are you talking to?"

"It's Mimi, Mama," she called up the stairs. A brunette in a tan pantsuit descended the stairs quickly, immediately wrapping Mimi up in a hug. 

"How are you? Oh, you look so good. Your mother's over your father's house visiting you grandmother. How was the flight?"

"Not too bad. A little long, and uncomfortable," Mimi answered. Sofia made a face and laughed.

"Still complaining, huh? And who is this?"

"Aunt Sofia, this is my boyfriend Roger," Mimi said, wrapping her arm around his waist again.

"It's nice to meet you Roger. Just make yourself at home. Well, I'm sure both of you are exhausted, so let me show you upstairs to the guest room. What's the weather like back in Manhattan?" Sofia questioned, walking back up the stairs with Roger, Mimi, and Celeste following.

"Cold. Only about 40 degrees," Roger answered as they continued down a long tiled hallway. She stopped outside a room at the end of the hall and opened the door. Roger was taken aback by the size of it. It was easily the size of the living room and kitchen of the loft combined, and airy. It was decked out in shades of white and tan, and a king size bed sat in the middle between two full length windows that he assumed led out onto two separate balconies. 

"You won't have to worry about that kind of weather here. It's an easy 80 degrees by noon until the end of next month," she smiled. "Let me know if you both are hungry, and I'll have something set out on the table."

"Thanks," Mimi replied. "How is he?"

Sofia stopped and shrugged awkwardly. "As well as to be expected, I suppose. His heart is failing." She kissed Mimi on both cheeks and held her for a second. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." Sofia nodded politely at Roger and shut the door behind her and Celeste.

Roger set the bags near the bed, and Mimi grabbed the overnight bag and took it with her into the bathroom. She started placing things in the medicine cabinet and the toothbrushes in the holder when Roger walked in.

"Jesus, look at that bathtub. I'm just letting you know we have a date in that tonight. What the hell does your uncle do for a living?" he joked, placing his arms around Mimi's waist.

"He owns a few banks around the city, and the tub sounds tempting."

"It really is beautiful here," he added, opening the door to the balcony. "You can even see the ocean from here."

"Yeah, it really is. Every time I came here I'd have such a hard time leaving, but to me, New York is home. I can visit and vacation here, but I don't think I could ever live here."

"I don't think I could ever really leave the city anyway."

She nodded and stripped out of her hoodie, leaving her in a tank top and sweatpants. "Did you take your pills?"

"No."

"Take them now," she ordered playfully, pulling him away from the balcony.

"Okay mom." 

He came back out a minute later and winked at her. "So how does that nap sound now?"

"Hmm. That bed looks pretty inviting," she answered, setting herself on it. She pulled him down next to her and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you."

"For what?" he yawned.

"For coming with me, and not pushing me to answer a ton of questions about my past."

He kissed her nose. "No problem."

She yawned and snuggled against him some more, and before she knew it, they had both fallen into a deep sleep.

_________________________________________________


	24. 24

CHAPTER 24

Big thanks to all my reviewers! You guys own. ;) 33

__________________________________

"Oh shit."

Jackie rolled over and placed both of her hands on her forehead. She soon realized that she was burning up, and that her head felt like it was being weighed down by a few good size bricks. "Fanfuckingtastic." She tried to sit up, but slumped back under the covers quickly.

"Hey," Mark greeted her. "You're up."

"Shhh," she whispered. "Why.are.you.yelling?"

Mark laughed and handed her two Tylenols and a glass of water. "I'm not. Take those and I'll go get the thermometer."

Jackie pushed herself up high enough to swallow the pills. Mark came back and handed the thermometer to her and she stuck it under her tongue obediently. "99.8."

"Good. At least your fevers down. How about some breakfast?" Mark asked.

"Some toast would be okay. I don't think I can stomach much of anything else," she joked, coughing a little. "Could you bring me my purse? I think my cell's ringing."

Mark nodded and returned with her bag and went off to get the toast. 

"Hello?" she said hoarsely into the phone.

"Hey."

"Harvey? How are you?"

"I'm good, better at least. What about yourself? You sound sick."

"I am, kind of. I got a little drunk by myself last night and ended up sitting outside in the rain for awhile, so yeah, I am sick," she laughed. "How's California?"

"It's good. I'll probably be here for another two weeks. It feels good to get away."

"Yeah. How's your leg?"

"Decent. It hurt like hell for the first week, but once it started to heal it's been okay. Listen, my sister wants to use the phone, but I'd just figure I'd call and check up on you and everything."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon?"

"Sure. Love you."

"Love you too." Jackie flung her cell phone back on the bed and stood up shakily. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed off to the bathroom. As she splashed her face with water, she wished she could have spoken to Harvey a little longer. He seemed, well, distant.

Mark reentered the bedroom and pulled the sheets off the bed, knocking her cell phone and the contents of the purse onto the floor. "Fuck." He picked up the various pieces of makeup, money, and her wallet, shoving them back into the bag before reaching underneath the bed to check for anything else. He felt under the bed and pulled out a bottle of pills. Without thinking much about it, he glanced at the label. Phenobarbital. He continued down the label, realizing the pills were supposed to have been finished by the first week of January. 

"What are you doing?" Jackie yawned, entering the bedroom and picking up a piece of toast of the plate. "Oh."

"What are these?" Mark questioned, holding them in front of her.

"Just pills, okay?" she said roughly, reaching out for them. "Can I have them?"

"I asked you what they were."

"Jesus Mark, just give me the fucking pills," she practically shouted at him, still holding her head.

"Are they drugs?" he asked, staring at her.

"What does it matter?"

"I want to know. I think I have a right to know," he said shakily.

"Fine Mark. They're barbiturates. Happy now?" She grabbed the bottle from him. "It's not what it looks like."

Mark said nothing and brushed past her into the living room. "If you want to kill yourself be my guest. Roger sure as hell almost did," he said bitterly.

"I only take them once in a while, just so I can relax—"

"They're fucking drugs, Jackie. That's exactly what Roger used to say to me too. You're killing yourself."

Jackie glared at him and stalked into the living room, still holding her head in pain. "You know what? Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad way to go."

"You don't mean that."

"Since when do you know everything about me?" she yelled at him, wincing a little. "Because—you don't. You want to play ancient history, Mark? Step right up!"

"Whatever," he said, crossing his arms against his chest. He then stood up and grabbed his coat, shoving it on roughly. "I'm going out."

"Good," she screamed after him angrily as the loft door slammed. "Bastard." She reentered their bedroom and quickly changed into a tank top and loose dance pants before slipping on her pointe shoes. She realized that this probably wasn't the wisest thing to do in the midst of a hangover, but dancing was how she got her frustrations out and Mark had definitely driven her to that point.

She did a few warm up stretches in order to get her muscles loose. The fact that she hadn't danced in over a week and a half wasn't helping much either. She realized that taking barbiturates was dangerous if you took more than you were prescribed, but a lot of the girls at dance had been taking them to relax and get some sleep after crazy rehearsal schedules. It wasn't a head on addiction—they were just something she had to take every once in awhile when she was stressed out.

Half an hour later, she was nailing combination after combination, surprisingly. She hadn't expected to dance like she was today, and she wasn't even putting a lot of effort into it at all. Ballet used to be something that she loved—and now, she wasn't so sure anymore.

Her cell phone started ringing again, and she stopped and quickly ran to dig it out of her bag.

"Hello?" she spoke, breathlessly.

"Hi Jackie, it's Mrs. Murphy."

"Hi, how are you doing?" Jackie realized automatically that she probably shouldn't have asked that question.

"Well—we're coping honey. Listen, the reason I called was to invite you to Natalie's memorial this coming weekend, on the 16th."

"In Boston?" Jackie asked, adjusting the volume on the stereo to hear better.

"No, we've decided to have it in Nantucket, on the beach. You know how much she loved the beach."

"Yeah, I do. I remember when we went to Sydney…she loved it."

"I know. I just wanted to see if you'd be able to make it…and Harvey too, although I can't seem to get a hold of him."

"Of course I'll make it. I'll probably get a flight out of Newark to Boston and then change planes to Nantucket, it's nothing." She sat down on the couch and tucked her feet underneath her. "Harvey's in Los Angeles, but I'll definitely give him a call and have him come with me."

"Thank you honey."

"You're welcome."

"Well, we'll probably be heading back to Boston that same night, but you're more than welcome to stay at our beach house. Just let me know and I'll have the keys with me."

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you so much, Mrs. Murphy."

"I know Natalie would appreciate it. Okay, well I have to make a few other calls, but I'll let you go now. Take care of yourself."

"You too." Natalie ended the call just as Mark entered the loft, holding a bag of bagels.

"Who was that?" he asked, setting the bag on the kitchen counter.

"Oh…Natalie's mom. She invited us to her memorial in Nantucket this Saturday," Jackie answered, walking into the kitchen. She took a seat on the barstool and started untying her pointe shoes slowly. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I want to," Mark said. "I'll go with you."

"Kay." Jackie rested her shoes on top of the counter as Mark continued looking at her. 

"I'm sorry," he announced. "I just don't want you hurting yourself."

"I know. I'm sorry that I exploded at you before," she said. Mark walked over and kissed her forehead and then her lips. 

"I love you, and I really am sorry."

"I love you too, and stop apologizing," she smiled, pulling the bagel bag towards her. 

"That's the first time you said it," he acknowledged, grabbing the cream cheese from the fridge.

"Yeah. I know, but I meant it. Did you mean it?" she asked, pulling a sesame seed bagel out and setting it onto the plate in front of her.

"I did. Did you?"

"Yeah."

_________________________________________________

Mimi yawned and stretched out on the bed, shifting the blankets off of her. 

"Sleep well?"

She turned her head to find Roger poking his head out of the bathroom, a toothbrush in his mouth and a towel wrapped around his waist. "Yeah. What time is it?"

"Almost five. Your aunt came up before and said you…well, better get to the hospital as soon as you could," he said slowly, spitting some toothpaste out into the sink.

"Jesus, it's five? Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, rubbing her eyes before standing. "All this kid does is sit on my bladder. Move…I gotta go."

Roger looked at her oddly and stepped out of the way, laughing. "I hope our child isn't gonna be a brat."

Mimi shook her head and slammed the bathroom door, coming out a few minutes later to find Roger still laughing at her. "I'm assuming you're laughing at me, and not with me?"

"Well, you're not laughing at all, so I guess I am laughing at you," he said, pulling on a pair of jeans. She slumped back over to the bed and collapsed on it, pulling the blanket over her head, along with the pillow.

"Stop making fun of me. My boobs hurt, my head hurts, my legs hurt, my back hurts…and you, you just—"

"Your boobs hurt?" Roger asked. He started laughing again, and Mimi pulled the blanket off of her face and threw the pillow at him.

"You're so immature."

"I'm sure I could find a way to make them not hurt," he suggested seductively.

"No." She walked over to the dresser and started brushing her hair out, and Roger wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"Sorry," he said, kissing her cheek.

"I'm so fat. I'm gonna look like the doughboy's cousin by September," she whined. Roger laughed and moved his hand up to her stomach.

"Whose cousin?"

"The doughboy. You know, the Pillsbury doughboy?" Roger shrugged. " Roger, the fricken doughboy. The one where you poke his belly and he goes…woo hoo!"

"Woo hoo?" Roger grinned and poked Mimi's belly. "Do it."

"What? No," she laughed, moving his hand away.

"Say it."

"No."

"Say it," he laughed, starting to tickle her.

"Roger! Davis! ROGER!" she shouted at him, ducking out from under his hands. "You're such a pervert."

"But a 25 year old pervert is better than a 16 year old one," he said, defending himself.

"Yeah, okay, daddy," she joked.

"Daddy? I like the sound of that," he grinned again. "When do we find out what it is again?"

"Beginning of April. Next month. Probably by the time we get back from Hawaii," she smiled. "I'm excited."

"So am I."

"Really?"

"Yup, because then we can shop for it and everything. Decorate the nursery."

Mimi smirked at him and tousled his hair. "You're so painting, buddy."

"Uh…"

"That's what I thought. I can sit and supervise. Do I look too pregnant in this?" she asked him, running her hands over her shirt.

"Nope. Seriously. I don't think anyone's gonna realize, unless you tell them. You are going to tell them, right?" he asked.

"My mom already knows. If she remembers, I'll be surprised. When did my boobs get so big?" she added, pushing them up slightly with her hands. Roger smirked at her, and Mimi noticed. "Okay pervert, tell Lil' Roger to calm down."

"C'mon baby, don't be such a tease," he whispered in her ear, kissing her neck.

"Later, I swear. We'll do it wherever you want," she said laughing, placing her hands around his neck."

"Wherever?" he questioned, his eyes lightening up a little. "JACUZZI!"

"I hope I'm not gonna regret this. Seriously though, we have to be quiet."

"Quiet and me do not belong in the same sentence."

"Roger I'm serious. I don't need an audience listening to us have sex."

"Okay, I'll try…but you just turn me on so much."

Mimi rolled her eyes and kissed him before walking away. "We need to leave for the hospital."

"Oooh shot down," he laughed. "How do we go about getting to the hospital?"

"By cab. It's not a big deal, I'll call one," she added, picking up the phone in their room. 

_______________________________________

"Patient name?"

"Lorenzo Marquez," Mimi said, conversing in Spanish with the nurse.

"3rd floor, ward 2, Room 58."

"Thank you." Roger placed his arm protectively on Mimi's hip as they walked down the hall. "You'll be great."

"I hope so." The reached the room, and Mimi paused outside the door. "Can you wait outside?"

"Sure." Roger leaned down to kiss her before she walked in. "I'll be right here."

"Thanks." Mimi stepped inside the dim room, locating her father in the second bed near the window. "Papa?" she called out, taking a seat on the edge of the hospital bed.

His eyes opened slowly and he attempted a small smile when he saw Mimi, reaching out to take her hand. "Mimi…you came."

Mimi smiled and placed her own hand over his. "I did."

"You just missed your…mother."

"Aunt Sofia told me. How do you feel?" She asked, smoothing the blanket over his legs.

"Not so good. I'm so glad you came to see me. I missed you."

Mimi bit her lip and nodded. "I missed you too."

"How's…New York?"

"Good, I like it."

"That's good." He closed his eyes briefly before reopening them again. "Have you seen…your mother?"

"No, not yet, but I will."

"Good…she told me…that you're having a…baby," he said slowly, coughing a little bit.

Mimi nodded and smiled again. "I am."

"A girl…or…a boy…?"

"I don't know yet. I'll find out next month."

"You're going…to have a little girl. I can feel it."

"Okay Papa."

"Did you bring…the baby's father…with you?" he said, breathing shallowly. Mimi knew this was taking a lot out of him.

"I did."

"That's…good. I love you Mimi."

"I love you too," she answered, wiping her eyes with her free hand. 

"Never forget that. The past is forgotten."

"Okay." Mimi felt him gently squeeze her hand and then drift off to sleep. "I love you," she whispered, bending over to kiss his forehead. She then curled up against him and laid on the bed for the next twenty minutes, until she figured that Roger was probably either lost or restless outside in the hall. As she sat up, she noticed that the heart monitor had drawn a completely straight line on the screen. "Asystole," she said quietly. Running her fingers through his hair, she bent down to kiss his hand before walking out of the room. 

She found Roger sitting against the wall at the end of the hall, flipping through a version of Rolling Stone in complete Spanish. He stood up as soon as he saw her and walked over to her. "Hey."

"That's it," she responded. He nodded and pulled her against him, rocking her back and forth gently. 

"I'm sorry," he added, running his hands up her back.

"So am I." She wiped her eyes against his shirt and laughed a little. "I kind of got your shirt wet."

"It's not a big deal."

Mimi rested her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist, leading him down the hall again. "I want to go home," she whispered.

"Okay. Whatever you want baby. I don't mind."

"Thank you. I don't want to stay for the funeral. I just want to go home. I want to see my mother and then go home."

Roger nodded and kissed her head. "Anything."

So take me and break me and make me strong like you  
I'll be forever grateful to this and you  
It's only you, beautiful.  
Or I don't want anyone  
if I can choose it's only you.

________________________________

Mimi and Roger arrived at Mimi's father's house about twenty minutes later. "She should be here. Then we can get a cab to the airport." She rang the doorbell." Can you call the airport and try to find a flight out of here? I'll give you the number."

"Sure."

The door opened, and a small woman with hair just as curly as Mimi's appeared, a smile across her face. "Mimi, you're here! When did you get here, chica?"

"This morning, early," Mimi answered, as her mother gave her a hug. "Mama, this is Roger."

"Hi Roger, I'm Mimi's mother, Benita." She also gave him a hug as well.

"Nice to meet you," he greeted. 

"Well, come in. Carl's out with your uncle Juan and everyone else is out with Celeste. The hospital called, did you—"

"Yeah, I was there when he died."

"Okay."

'You can go make the phone call, baby," Mimi suggested, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. Roger nodded and left the room.

"He seems very nice, and handsome," Benita laughed as Mimi smiled.

"Yeah. He is."

"So when are you leaving?"

"Tonight, actually. Roger's on the phone with the airlines right now," she said politely.

"I see. I'm glad that you're here, because your father wanted me to give this to you," she said, picking up an envelope off the coffee table. She handed it to Mimi. "Open it."

"Okay."  Mimi slit the envelope open and was shocked at what she found.

Mimi— 

_I know I haven't been a good father to you all these years, but now, as I'm reaching my last days, I want to leave you with something to provide for you family. I don't know what else to say, although that I'm sorry for running off on you and your mother. I do love you, always have. Please take care of yourself. _

_Love,_

_Papa_

"Mama…this is a check for…for…$400,000," she said shakily, double-checking the numbers on the check.

Benita nodded. "I know."

"Mom. $400, 000."

"I know, chica," Benita laughed. "Your sisters all received the same. I even received one."

"What am I—what am I supposed to do with this?"

"Renovate that place you live in, perhaps. Buy things for the baby."

"I just wanted to let you know now that I'm not going to the funeral."

"I see. I can't force you."

"I know, but I don't think it's my place.

"It's your decision. I'm not saying anything."

"Thank you."

"Mmhmm. I understand that you need to be going, but your sisters and I are throwing a surprise 19th birthday party for Veronica next month. We'd like you to come."

"I guess."

"Mimi."

"Okay, I'll come," Mimi answered edgily.

"That's more like it."

____________________________________________

"Mark do you have any more Tylenol?" Jackie asked from the bathroom. 

"Check the second shelf of the medicine cabinet. There should be more there."

"Roger?" Jackie laughed. "One's labeled Roger."

"Yeah—well, he can tolerate more alcohol than I've ever seen anyone choke down, so I figured he deserves his own bottle."

"That's just because you're a lightweight, Marky. I can drink you under the table and then some."

"As you characteristically proved the yesterday…"

"When Roger gets back I'm putting him up to a drinking contest," Jackie added, devilishly.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I do. It's on," she said. "Mark, I can't find it, and my head hurts."

"Then take some out of Roger's."

"He only has like…one left."

"Then take it and I'll get more from the store."

"Kay." Jackie down the pill and walked out of the bathroom. "Get the phone."

"You."

"Fine." Jackie reached lazily for the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"It's the Jac-ster. How goes it," Roger asked, yelling into the phone.

"Uh…it goes? Why are you yelling into the phone?"

"Because we're in the airport waiting for our flight to start boarding for Washington."

"You're coming home already?"

"Yeah. We should be home tomorrow morning around 6 AM, I guess. Having fun with Marky? You guys taking advantage of the empty loft? There's gonna be competition tomorrow night."

Jackie laughed as she heard Mimi yelling at him for being a "pervert". "Sure. Hey Davis, I have a challenge for you."

"Shoot."

"I bet…$20 I can drink you under the table."

"Hah. Fuck that. I can outdrink you like it's nothing. $40."

"Deal. You're on."

"You're going down, Ferrell. What's Mark up to?"

"He's editing scripts. Wanna talk to him?" Mark looked up and shrugged.

"Nah."

"Oh, okay."

"Alright, well our plane's boarding, so we'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Later." Jackie hung up the phone and grabbed a script from Mark, flipping through it. "Do you really want to do this right now?"

Mark laughed and shook his head. "Not really. Got any other ideas?"

"Hmm…yeah, one or two," she winked. 

"I thought you said you didn't feel good?"

"I didn't, but now I changed my mind. Wanna take me up on it?"

"I don't know, I really need to finish these…"

"Mark."

Mark laughed and scooped her up, running with her towards the bedroom. "You got it."

____________________________________________

NEXT UP: Roger and Jackie's drinking contest, Natalie's memorial, Mimi's surprise.

NOTE: Asystole refers to no sinus rhythm of the heart. Sorry, I'm an ER freak too lol.


	25. 25

CHAPTER 25

__________________________________________

"Mark, the alarm," Jackie coughed, turning over onto her stomach. Mark sat up groggily and reached for it, shutting it off instantly. "What time is it?"

"5:30. I gotta go get Roger and Mimi from the airport. Their flight's coming in around 6:30." He pulled the blankets back over Jackie and stood up, changing into his pants and a sweatshirt. "Go back to sleep."

"Do you think you can get some Tylenol from on of the drugstores in the airport? My head's killing me," she asked, coughing again. "And maybe some cough medicine?"

"Sure. I'll see you later. We don't have to be into work until 9, so get some sleep," he added, kissing her on the cheek. 

"Mmhmm."

____________________________________________

"So how was your trip?" 

Roger handed Mark the other duffel bag and shrugged. "It was okay. The shortest trip to another country I've ever been on."

Mimi smiled and leaned against him as they walked through the terminals. "We weren't even there for a full 24 hours. We spent a combined 24 hours on a plane for 12 hours in Argentina," she laughed. "Where's Jackie?"

"She's home sleeping. I think she's coming down with something. I promised I'd pick up some meds for her," he replied, waving the pharmacy bag in front of him. "I replaced your Tylenol bottle too, Rog."

Roger smiled. "You mean I was out already?"

"Jackie said you only had one left, and she took it."

"We'll need those when I out drink her," he smirked.

"Yeah, okay," Mimi snorted, burying her face in Roger's shoulder.

____________________________________________

"God, it's finally warm in here," Mimi said, dropping her bag onto the floor. 

"Yeah, thank god for that," Roger added.

Jackie walked out of the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee in her hand. It was after 8, and she was still in her pajamas. Her eyes were a little puffy and she looked visibly pale. "Hey guys."

"Hey, you don't look so good," Mimi said, studying her from across the room.

"Yeah, you don't." Roger walked over to her and placed his hand on her forehead. "You're kind of warm."

"I'll be okay. It's probably just a cold or a flu—or something. Don't come near me, I don't want you getting sick," she scolded him, pushing past him. "I gotta go get dressed for work."

Mark sighed. "I'm going to take these to her."

"She okay, Mark?" Roger asked, taking of his shoes.

"Yeah—she'll be fine." Mark left and closed their bedroom door behind him.

___________________________________________

An hour later, Mark and Jackie had left for work, meaning the loft was completely empty and Roger and Mimi's plans for the day were up in the air. Mimi walked out of the kitchen yawning, handing Roger a glass of water and his pills.

"Take 'em, and sit down. I have to tell you something."

He looked up from the lyrics he was working on and shrugged. "Okay."

"And don't tell Mark this right away."

"Okay."

"You know when you were on the phone at my dad's house in Buenos Aires? When I was talking to my mom in the living room?"

Roger nodded and glanced back down at the paper he was working on. "Yeah, why?"

Mimi cleared her throat and bit her lip. "Well, she…uh…gave me something."

"Like what?" he asked, only half listening to her.

"Like a check for $400,000 dollars."

"WHAT?!" Roger exploded. His pencil rolled onto the floor. "A what?"

"My father left me $400,000 to my name," she tried again, meekly. 

"$400,000…holy shit. That's a lot of money," he said, shaking his head. "What are you going to do with it? How did you—"

"I told you my dad was a doctor, right? Well, turns out he played the stock market pretty well and had some huge investments in oil companies around the world. I didn't have any idea until my mother sprung the money on me."

"Jesus."

"What do you want to do with it?" she asked, sitting down on the couch next to him.

"It's your money, Mimi, I'm not making decisions for you—"

"But we're getting married soon, and the money's going to be half yours," she reminded him.

"Yeah."

"So I was thinking on the plane that we should use some of it for our wedding, some to get ready for the baby, and some more to turn this place into a **real** loft," she suggested. "Then the rest we can just save in our bank account."

"But we don't have a bank account that I know of. Mark has one, but I sure as shit don't have one."

"So we could get one. I'm sure it's not that hard," Mimi laughed. 

"So what do you want to do about the wedding?" Roger asked, running a hand through his hair. "Have you thought about it, because I'm up for anything."

"I know this is going to sound crazy, and ridiculous, but you know that really huge church in Manhattan? Saint Patrick's Cathedral?"

"Yeah, my grandma goes to church there. What about it?"

"My mom used to take me and my sisters there when we were little, and I was thinking, that since we're both Catholic—you are Catholic, right?"

"Yup."

"…we could get married there? If you don't want to, then that's fine, we could always go for something smaller, I don't care, but I've always thought that church was beautiful with the architecture and the stained glass windows and I promised myself that I would try to get married there—"

Roger smiled and kissed Mimi before she could continue. "That's fine, but you better call to reserve it like…today," he teased. "That place gets filled up really fast. Between Sunday masses, it's fucking insane. We'll have to get married on the off hours."

"Okay, so we have the place, and I guess we'll figure out the time when I call today. What do you think about May?"

"May's a go. It won't be too damn cold, but it won't be too hot either. So none of us will be sweating our of our tuxes and dresses."

"Good, because by that time I'll be six months pregnant and I can guarantee you my back will hurt twice as much as it does now," she said, running her fingers along his tattooed arms.

"What about the bridesmaids and ushers and all that?"

"I think I'm going to ask Maureen to be my maid of honor, and then have Jackie and Lisa as bridesmaids. What about your sister? And Marissa as flower girl?" she questioned, curling up into his lap.

"Yeah, I could ask her about that. Mark's going to be my best man. That kid has put up with more of my shit than I ever gave him credit for," he laughed, resting his hands on her swollen stomach.

"Good. Then I guess Collins and Dan could be ushers?"

"Yeah. We need one more though. What about that guy Matt, Lisa's boyfriend slash father of Noah?"   
  


"Yeah. Don't know him, but I'm sure I will eventually."

"Looks that way. Mark told me they're moving in downstairs."

Mimi laughed as he kissed her nose. "Okay, so we have the location, and the wedding party. I'm going to need a dress that'll fit, the girls are going to need bridesmaid gowns, Marissa's going to need a flower girl dress, and you boys are going to need tuxes. Maureen can help me with that."

"Okay, and Collins too—with the tuxes I mean," Roger laughed. "Not the dresses."

"Although I'm sure that Dan will be able to find us some discounts on the dresses."

"What about the color of the dresses?"

"I was thinking a lilac color for the girls. Marissa's will be white. She'll look so adorable," Mimi squealed.

"Yeah, she will. She looks just like Lindsey."

"She does. Okay, so I'll call the church, set up the date and time and the rehearsal the day before. What about the rehearsal dinner?"

"Do we have to?"

"It's a tradition. We could always have it at the Life. I'm up for that," Mimi answered, pulling the blanket over her legs.

"Fuck, hotel reservations. Which one? Maybe the Plaza?"

"That place is expensive."

"I want everything to be perfect for you," Roger said. 

"I know, but it's just a hotel. It doesn't need to be perfect."

"Mimi."

"Okay, you win. What about Le Marquis? Or the Waldorf-Astoria?" she suggested.

Roger made a face when she mentioned the Waldorf. "Too antique. Why don't we go for Le Marquis?"

"Sure." Mimi grabbed a spare piece of paper and the pencil off the floor and started making a list. "Okay, so place, wedding party, the hotel, and dresses. Rings?"

"I'll take care of yours," Roger grinned. "I've already got one picked out."

"When did you find the time to do that?"

"Hey, I'm not telling."

"Fine. I still have to look around for yours," she laughed, pinching his cheeks. "Roger Davis, you are just too cute!" she gushed, teasingly.

"Hey," he chuckled, pushing her hands away. "You forgot to add sexy."

Mimi rolled her eyes and glanced back down at her list. "Marriage license."

"I'll deal with it."

"Okay. Honeymoon?"

"Hold off on that for a second. Do you still want to go to Hawaii this weekend?" he asked.

"Well…honestly, not really. I'm kind of tired, and plus now I have to plan the wedding. Maureen needs to fly back up here still."

"So why don't we see if we can talk to Collins and push it back until the 19th, right after the wedding? We could leave Monday morning and still take the two weeks, if you wanted? Whatever you want babe."

"That's fine. It makes more sense, anyway. I'll just talk to the doctor and make sure I'm okay to travel, which I'm sure I will be."

"Okay. So we'll do that," he added, stealing the paper from her and adding it to the list.

"Limos. We're going to need two. One for me and the girls, one for you and the guys. Then after the wedding we'll just take one ourselves and everyone else will ride in the other."

"Yeah." 

"Okay, now here's the big one. Who do you want to invite?"

"Umm…well I guess the guys from the band—Travis and his girlfriend, Wes, Lori, and their baby Amber, and Evan. My mom, I guess, because if she found out I was getting married at Saint Patrick's cathedral and didn't invite her she'd kill me. My grandma, my brother, his wife and kids…I guess Heather and her boyfriend. I really don't want that many people. What about your family?"

"I don't want a lot of people either. I guess my mom, Carl, Carmen, her husband and daughter, Isabel, and Veronica. I'll probably fly my aunt Sofia and my uncle Juan up here, and Celeste. Actually, I kind of want her in the wedding party, if that's okay with you?"

"That's fine, but then I guess I could add Wes as another usher because it would be uneven."

"Yeah. Okay," Mimi scribbled that down as well. "Invitations?"

"Hmm, yeah. Let's get Maureen to write them out. It'll give her a thrill."

"Yeah, it would, but let's just make sure she doesn't invite a ton of people. She was telling me the other day that she's going to have 500 people at her wedding. Could you imagine? Holy shit," Mimi laughed. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"That sucks for her. I still can't believe she's engaged to that guy Chad after only 3 months."

"Neither can I."

"What about inviting Mark's family? That's only fair, considering Lisa's in the wedding and all."

"Yeah. What about Joanne?"

"I guess, although there'd probably be some tension between her and Maureen."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Roger retorted, grinning.

"That's it for now. Let me just get on the phone with the church and see what I can work out. My head hurts now," she remarked, grabbing the phone off the coffee table. Roger flipped on the TV and surfed through channels while he waited for her to get off.

"Hey Roger, they said Sunday, May, 18th, is open. Either 2 or 6 PM. The ceremony lasts about an hour," she asked him, covering the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Uh…I guess 2 PM then. That's fine," he answered. Mimi nodded and continued taking a few more notes on the paper before hanging up the phone.

"Okay. So we have it reserved for 2 PM on the 18th of May. We have to meet with the priest once or twice ahead of time, but he'll call as the wedding gets closer. I gave them the loft number and address."

"Speaking of the loft, what exactly did you want to fix up around here?" he asked, glancing at her curiously. 

Mimi rested her hands on her hips and looked around. "The heating, definitely, because we'll need it for next winter. I'm not raising a baby in a freezing loft," she said, defensively. "Plus I'm not suffering through the last part of my pregnancy when I'm huge and miserable in a stifling loft in the summer either. Maybe we can install central air conditioning and heating?"

"No complaints there. I've caught way too many colds from the lack of heating in this place," he said.

"Plus the fucking water heater in the bathroom. We could use another one—maybe replace the old one and just add two 40 gallon ones instead. Then we could…carpet the whole place, repaint the walls, and get the fucking power generator fixed. I definitely want to fix up the room over there as the nursery—paint it and carpet it too. I don't know—let's talk to Mark about it," she suggested.

"How much do you think everything's going to cost?" Roger asked. "You don't have to do this. Really. Seriously Mimi."

"I'm not sure, but believe me, I want to do this. I'm not letting $400,000 sit in a bank account collecting dust. Sure, the majority we'll save, but we'll be much happier in the long run. All of us," she joked. 

"You know what I just thought? The apartment next door has been vacant for months. Maybe we could knock the one wall out and connect our place with that one—this way Mark and Jackie could pretty much have their own place and we could have this side. Especially with the baby and all—I'd feel kind of bad about keeping them up all the time," he added.

"Not a bad idea—I'm not good with the plumbing and wiring crap—especially the heating and air conditioning too. Maybe you and Mark could make the phone calls for that. I don't even know where to begin with that shit." She walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets, grabbing a bagel and taking a bite out of it. 

"Don't you think you should ask me if I want a bagel?" Roger questioned innocently.

"Oh. Sorry honey, do you want a bagel?" she asked sarcastically, holding out the half bitten one to him. 

"Not…that one."

"Loser." She laughed and kissed him as he grabbed a bagel over the shoulder. "I mean, I love you."

"Nice try."

"Roger."

"I'm kidding. I love you too."

"That's more like it."

__________________________________________

Jackie flipped through a few folders on her desk, trying to figure out what she needed to catch up on. She had cleaned out her inbox—even a few old emails from Natalie—and had spent the whole morning on the phone with Mr. Richards again. This time, he was bitching that he wanted 50 copies of a script for his company.

"I'm going to kill that man," she moaned, coughing loudly. She grabbed the Tylenol bottle off of her desk and poured two into her hand before downing them with her coffee.

"I think we're all going to kill him," Mark smiled, dropping two more folders onto her desk. "Christina wanted me to give those to you."

Jackie rolled her eyes and scanned them. "Oh thanks," she added sarcastically.

Mark looked concerned, and placed his hand on her head. "How do you feel?"

"Horrible, but I have to get this shit done, and then I have to go to rehearsal tonight to figure out what the hell we're supposed to do with the shows," she said.

"Maybe you should just stay home?" Mark suggested, kissing her on the forehead. 

"I wish, but I really have to get caught up."

"Do you want to go out for lunch?"

Jackie shook her head and looked back down at the folders. "Not feeling up to it."

"Okay. I'll see you later." He kissed her a final time before leaving her office.

__________________________________________

Mark entered the loft again around 2 PM, taking off his scarf. Roger was sitting at the kitchen counter, still working on lyrics, and Mimi was walking up and down the room talking on the phone with a stack of papers in her hands.

"Hey," Roger greeted, sticking the pencil behind his ear. "Jackie didn't come with you?"

"Hey, uh, no, she's still at work, and then she's going to dance around 4. She probably won't be home until 8 or 9."

"Oh, okay," Roger stood up and stretched out, pulling his arms over his head.

Mark loosened his tie and poured himself a glass of juice. "What's Mimi doing?"

Roger laughed. "She's planning a wedding."

"Whose?"

Roger grinned and looked at him stupidly. "Ours, jackass. Whose else's?"

"Hey, she could have been helping Maureen with hers," he said, defensively. "And when exactly where you going to tell me that you were engaged, let alone planning a wedding?"

"I don't know. I kind of proposed to her the weekend we were in Scarsdale, and then she started talking about it with me this morning. Sorry," he apologized.

"Some friend you are," Mark joked. "Who's she on the phone with?"

"Maureen, I think. She's trying to get her to fly up here to help her out, considering she's the maid of honor, or whatever."

"Jesus, you guys planned everything out already? Like what?"

"We're having at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on May 18th. It's a Sunday, at 2 PM. Yes, before you get all bent out of shape and pouty, you're the designated best man, meaning your unofficial job is to make sure I don't get drunk off my ass at the bachelor party and to keep things under control."

"Oh gee, thanks," Mark added, laughing. "No one can keep you sober."

"Mimi can."

"To think she's going to have to put up with you permanently now, she has to be a saint."

"Shut up. Do you want to be the best man or not?" Roger said, glaring at him.

"Somebody forgot to take his Midol today."

"Can you guys keep it down," Mimi shouted, still conversing with the phone.

"Sorry," they both grinned.

She hung up the phone a few minutes later and headed into the kitchen, where Mark and Roger were busy cracking on each other and eating. "Okay, so she's coming this weekend."

Roger sighed and groaned. "This weekend?"

"Yeah. Why?" Mimi said, staring him down. "Roger, I can't fucking plan a wedding by myself. You and Mark aren't going to be much help."

"I think she forgot to take her Midol," Mark whispered under his breath. Roger started cracking up and almost choked on his beer, high fiving Mark over the table.

 Mimi walked away from them silently and retreated to the bedroom, slamming the door so loud it echoed throughout the whole place.

_________________________________________

By Thursday, everyone from Collins to Joanne to Roger's band had heard the news of Roger and Mimi's engagement. How everyone knew exactly, was another question, but when you had Maureen Johnson as maid of honor, word traveled fast—even if it was from Los Angeles.

By 10 AM, Mimi had stepped out of the shower and pulled on an old band shirt and sweatpants, ready to relax. Mark and Jackie were struggling through another day of work—especially Jackie, who looked progressively worse since Monday. Roger was at band practice, and although he had promised to be home for lunch, she highly doubted it.

Turning the heater up a little as she walked back to the couch with a cup of coffee, she heard the key turn in the door. 

"Anyone home?" Collins asked, whistling as he walked in the door, a folder in his hand. 

"C'mon Collins, you're in the way," Maureen squealed, dashing through the door and over to Mimi. 

"Maureen, you're here!" Mimi laughed as Maureen gave her a tight hug.

"Sure am. Got a super early flight this morning and Collins collected me from the airport. Surprise!"

"Yeah, you know what they say…when the wedding planner's a rockin', don't come a knockin'," he joked. Maureen dropped her suitcase by the couch and plopped down next to Mimi.

Mimi glanced at Collins curiously. "I thought the saying was when the bed's a rockin', don't come a knockin'," she giggled, giving him a hug as well.

"Dan asked me to drop these paint samples off for you. He said he'd be over here as soon as he gets off of work. He's pretty psyched about the redecorating."

"Thanks. I can't wait to hear what he thinks for each of the rooms," she smiled, flipping through the samples on her lap. "Mo, where are you staying?"

Maureen flipped her brunette curls over her shoulder and shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Benny bitched me out about holding the apartment downstairs."

"You could stay here and take Lisa's bedroom. She's in Scarsdale with Matt anyway, but she's supposed to come up next weekend to stay with us," Mimi added. 

"Thanks hon. So are you ready to get this show on the road?"

"I guess. There's so many things to do, plus with redoing the whole apartment, and getting ready for the baby, I don't really know where to start," she laughed. 

"Well Dan is taking care of the redecorating, as long as he has your okay," Collins said. "Plus I can deal with the tuxes and the hotel reservations, speaking of which, I need the master guest list to set up."

"I'm pretty positive that the only people staying in the hotel are the ones in the actual wedding party. Mark and Jackie are going to have the same room, Maureen and Chad, you and Dan, Lisa and Matt, Marissa and Lindsey…I'll get back to you on it," Mimi answered.

"No problem."

"So what are your plans today Meems?" Maureen asked, stealing Mimi's coffee cup and taking a swig out of it.

"Nothing that I can think of."

"What do you think about dress shopping?"

"Seriously?"

"No, I'm kidding," Maureen laughed sarcastically. "Of course sweetie. Cinderella's fairy godmother isn't going to swoop down and get you ready overnight."

"Haha. Funny, you are. That sounds fine, but where?"

"I have a few places in mind. We could go into Jersey and hit up David's Bridal."

"Sure. Let me just go grab my coat and we'll go," Mimi said.

"Wanna come Collins?"

"Why the hell not? I've got nothing better to do than grade papers," he shrugged.

___________________________________________________

"What about that one?" 

Maureen handed Mimi another dress off the rack and held it in front of her.

"I don't know. The bottom is too poufy," she said, shaking her head.

Collins laughed and pointed another one out. "Hey Meems, take a look at that one. It looks like it would fit you really well."

"Oh yeah, me and my pumpkin belly," she groaned, taking it from Collins. "You're kind of right. I like how it's cut around the waist. Like it's not a tight form-fitting bodice. The material's kind of stretchy," she grinned.

Maureen clapped her hands together and pushed her towards the dressing room. "Go try it on! What sizes do you need?"

"Um, hand me the 2 and the 4. I'm really a size 2, but who knows by May." Mimi wiggled into the size 2 with Maureen's help, as Collins stood outside, waiting. 

"Hmm." Maureen walked around Mimi, pulling at the dress in various places. It wasn't anything fancy, but since when had Mimi Marquez been fancy? The dress was strapless, and Maureen made a mental note to look into a strapless bra. Beads were running up the side of it, from the chest to Mimi's hip, forming a starburst pattern on both sides. It fit perfectly everywhere else—except for Mimi's stomach, where it pulled a little too tight to be altogether flattering. "Let's go with a size 6."

"Six?" Mimi whispered, looking like she was about to cry. 

"Oh no honey, what I meant was by the time of the wedding, you're belly's going to be a lot bigger—believe me. Your boobs will probably be too. What size were you before you got pregnant?"

"Like a 36A," Mimi shrugged. "But now I'm definitely pushing a 34B."

"See? I can guarantee you'll be pushing a small C by the time the baby gets here. This way if we get the size 6, we can tailor it when we get closer to the wedding." Maureen zipped Mimi into the size 6 and glanced at it. "See, it's a pretty good match up top, and you'll fill into the bottom. We'll probably have to get it taken in on the sides and the chest, but that's not anything too hard to manage."

"Yeah, I can see your point," Mimi smiled. 

"Try on the veil," Maureen added.

Mimi took it from her and pinned it into her hair, adjusting it so it fell just right. "How does it look?"

"Oh honey, you look so beautiful," Maureen smiled. "You have to show Collins."

Maureen opened the dressing room door and allowed Mimi to slip through. 

"What do you think?" Mimi asked, spinning around a little for Collins. His jaw dropped, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Mimi, you look drop dead gorgeous," he chuckled, kissing her on the cheek. "Roger's going to cream himself."

Maureen looked appalled and gave Collins a reprimanding stare. "Ew! That was one mental picture I didn't need to think about right now, thank you."

Mimi laughed and whacked Collins on the arm. "Yeah, thanks Collins.

__________________________________________________________

"Here," Mimi said, handing the fries back down to Collins.

After making a pit stop at McDonald's and a shoe store, they were now back in the city.

"Okay, so we can keep the dress at your place, right Collins? And the shoes too?"

"Yep. Want me to drop them off?"

"I think I'll go with you," Maureen added, taking the dress from him.

"The dress doesn't need an escort, Mo," he teased.

"Yeah, but if I get to pay for it, I get to walk it to it's temporary home. We'll meet you back upstairs, Mimi."

Mimi nodded and climbed the rest of the stairs herself. What she found when she entered, however, made her doubt the trust she had put in Roger completely.

It certainly did look like Roger had come home for lunch—but not only had he brought Wes, Evan, and Travis with him, he also had a girl sitting on the edge of his lap, her arm draped causally around his waist. She recognized her as Lauren—the girl who had opened for The Well Hungarians two weeks before.

Wes looked over from the TV and waved. "Hey Mimi!"

She nodded and settled her gaze on Roger, glaring at him. "Looks like you're all busy, so I guess I'll be back later," she responded bitterly.

"Mimi! Wait." He hollered after her. "It's not what it looks like."

"Save it," she spat at him, slamming the loft door in his face.


	26. 26

CHAPTER 26

_________________________________________

"I CANNOT believe that bastard!" Mimi yelled, slamming the door of Collins apartment. 

"Whoa, pregnant woman on a rampage!" Dan screeched, ducking out of Mimi's way. He had just arrived home from work and was holding two sketches of the upstairs loft in his hands.

"I could FUCKING kill him!" she continued.

Maureen ran out into the living room from the kitchen, her heels clattering on the linoleum. "Sweetie, what happened?"

"Yeah, what?" Collins asked, bringing the newspaper with him. "What did he do this time?"

"Do I need to kick his ass?" Maureen said, resting her hands on her hips.

"Oh believe me, I'll take care of it. So I get upstairs, except I find him sitting there with the guys and a **fucking** girl on his lap!" she raged. "Her arm was wrapped around him and everything." Mimi slumped to the floor and rested her chin on her knees. 

"That fucking bastard. You just wait until I get done with him Mimi—"

She was cut off by pounding on Collins door. Mimi looked up and stared at it apprehensively, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm not talking to him."

"No, you don't have to. Roger, take your implanted skank crack whore and go away!" Maureen yelled through the door. 

"Open the fucking door, Maureen!" he yelled back at her. 

"C'mon," Collins added, helping Mimi off the ground and into the bedroom. Mimi curled up on it, and both Collins and Dan took a seat on either side of her. 

"Maureen OPEN THE DOOR!"

"You need anger management buddy! And a course in "How to keep my dick in my pants while my pregnant fiancée plans for our wedding 101"!" she retorted.

"Maureen."

"Roger."

"I don't know. Now everything makes so much sense. Now I know why he's been away with the band so much," Mimi said miserably. 

"Honey you don't know that," Dan added. "I know he's trying really hard to provide for you."

"Yeah. I'm sure Lauren is just a friend—nothing more. I guess it would be kind of the same situation—say, if you went and sat on Mark's lap and wrapped your arm around his waist," Collins put in.

"But it's Mark," Mimi sighed. 

"So what? I know it probably looked awkward, but did he honestly look like he was comfortable with her?"

"I don't know. For all I know they could have been shoving their tongues down each other's throats two seconds before I walked in," she said, resting her hand on her head. 

"I don't think anyone would have allowed that, especially Wes."

"I don't know. I can't trust him."

"Don't say that. He wouldn't have proposed to you, honey, if he didn't want to start a life with you," Dan reminded her.

"Yeah, but still. Maybe I overreacted, but how would you feel finding your boyfriend sitting on the couch with some girl in a shirt three times too small?" Collins and Dan glanced at each other. "That's what I thought."

"Just go talk to him before he breaks down our apartment door. Call me later and I'll come up and tell you what I figured out for decorating," Dan smiled, kissing Mimi on the cheek.

"Thanks. Both of you," she said, retreating to the living room where she found Maureen glaring at Roger, who was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Mimi, I—"

Mimi brushed past him. "Not here." 

"Okay."

Mimi walked back upstairs to the loft, finding it empty. "They left?"

"Yeah."

"Kay." She entered the kitchen and grabbed a soda out of the fridge, placing it in front of her. 

"Look, Mimi, I—"

"Let me just get this out okay?"

"Yeah." He took a seat at the barstool.

"I can't marry someone that I can't trust. Look, I know I probably overreacted today, but put yourself in my position. How would you like it if I had some random guy hanging all over me—a guy you didn't know? Or how would you like me sitting on their lap?"

"I wouldn't."

"See? I know that because you work at a bar and have gigs at a bar you're going to have girls hanging all over you—but Roger, I don't want to raise a baby on my own. I don't want to sit up all night waiting for you to come home, not knowing where you've been or who you've been with. I can't do that," she finished quietly, glancing down at her feet.

"I know baby. I promise I'm going to be there for you as much as I can," he answered.

Mimi nodded. "I just gotta know—who is she to you?"

Roger sighed. "She's my old ex girlfriend, from when I first moved to the city with Mark. Before April. Way before April."

"I see." Mimi took a sip of her soda and looked down at the floor again. "Druggie?"

Roger nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay." Mimi bit her lip as she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She carelessly wiped it away and concentrated on the soda can. 

"Don't cry. Please don't cry," Roger begged her, cradling his own head in his hands.

"I don't want her around here," she said quietly, grabbing a few tissues off the counter. "Roger, I'm just warning you now—I swear to fucking god if I ever catch you shooting up—if I see the marks or anything, it's over. I can't."

"I know," he said, walking over to her and pulling her into his arms. "I won't."

_If you want to sleep _

_I'll pull the shade   
if you should vanish _

_I'm sure to fade   
if you should smolder _

I'll breathe in your smoke   
If you should giggle   
I'll smile and pretend that I made the joke

Mimi closed her eyes and buried her face into Roger's shoulder, his own hands placed tightly around her body. "Please Roger." 

"She won't be around here baby. She just came with Evan and the guys. I'm sorry. I didn't know how much it would upset you. She just came over and sat on my lap right before you walked there. I didn't want her there, I swear," he whispered into her ear. Mimi swore she heard his voice quavering a little bit.

"It's okay," she answered, locking her fingers through his. "I believe you."

"Okay," he added, kissing her hair.

"I'm gonna go lay down. Come with me?" she asked. He nodded, and they headed off for the bedroom together.

And if you should ever leave me 

_ I will crumble   
That's just the way I am   
I hope you never leave me   
That is to say_

_I will crumble …_

____________________________________________

"That's really unlike him."

"Tell me about it," Mimi scoffed, sprawling out on the floor of the loft with Maureen and Dan. "He apologized and everything, but I still feel really weird about it. I don't know, it just…bothers me."

Maureen nodded sympathetically and handed her another paint sample. "Does Lauren still like him or something?"

"I don't know. Roger told me she's with Evan now, but c'mon Maureen, if I invite Evan, then she's obviously going to show up and I really don't want that." Mimi groaned.

"So tell him that you don't want her anywhere near him or around you," Dan voiced. "Then if the bitch refuses to listen—"

"We'll take her on—" Maureen smiled.

"…with her fake silicone. Anybody up for a water balloon toss?" Dan grinned. Mimi rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully. 

"Gross."

"I learn from the best," he shot back. "When's lover boy getting back?"

"Um, I don't know. He went out with Mark. Hopefully he'll talk some sense into Roger. Jackie should be home in a little bit."

Dan nodded. "Okay, so here's what I planned out. I have this friend in Brooklyn, Steve, who works for my company a few days a week. I told him how you want to redo the place, so he said just to let him now and he'll stop by sometime this week to do the measurements for the carpeting. I was thinking of a tan Berber carpet and light champagne colored walls for the living room area. This way it's not too girly, but comfortable. Unisex, basically."

Mimi nodded and looked at the samples again. "Yeah, I definitely like that."

"Good." Dan wrote his idea down on paper and turned to her again as Maureen flipped through a catalog. "I'm leaving the separate bedrooms up to all of you. I talked to Benny about knocking the one wall out. He said, and I quote, 'I don't give a shit what those bohemian rejects do as long as they pay the rent.' Nice guy."

"Oh yeah, peachy," Maureen laughed, rolling her eyes. "You're really knocking that one wall out?"

"I think so. We want to give Mark and Jackie more space that doesn't require them moving out," Mimi said. "I don't really know about the colors for the other rooms, maybe we could just paint and carpet the main area and just carpet the other rooms, minus the baby's?"

"That's fine. I could have Steve carpet the whole place by Wednesday, and the painting crew could be in here the following week."

"Okay." 

Dan stood up and grabbed his things, giving both Maureen and Mimi a kiss on the cheek. "Ladies, it's been great, but I've got to run. I'll put in a call to Steve, then I'll call you and let you know when he can make it up here."

"Bye sweetie," Maureen called after him. "Aw Meems, it'll be okay." She gave Mimi a tight hug.

"Yeah, I know." Mimi stood up and grabbed a bunch of the samples off the floor and placed them on the coffee table. "How long are you in town for?"

"I need to be back in Los Angeles on Wednesday. I have an audition set up for an independent movie role, kind of. Basically the script's about this lawyer who has affairs with all these rich women, and voila, if I get the part I get to be one of them."

"The part's all you, Mo," Mimi laughed. 

"Oooh Romeo and Juliet is on! You know, the new one with Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes? Let's watch," Maureen squealed, grabbing Mimi by the arm and pulling her onto the couch.

"Wait, let me go get some popcorn, I'm starving," Mimi said, heading off to the kitchen.

__________________________________________

"I was thinking about doing something really nice for Mimi," Roger said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Like maybe take her out."

Mark nodded. "I think she'd like that."

"Yeah."

"She's doing one of those pregnant women things, isn't she? Nesting, or whatever? She's redoing the whole loft," Mark laughed. "I'm really not going at it with her about that. I don't care either way. The place does need some fixing up."

"Yeah."

Mark looked at him quizzically. "You okay?"

"I guess," Roger shrugged, as they continued walking towards the park. "You remember Lauren?"

Mark thought about it for a minute. "Sort of. Short red head with really huge tits?"

Roger laughed. "Yeah, that's the one."

"What about her?"

"She showed up with Wes and the guys today, then she gets all up on me and sits on my lap."

"Sleazy," Mark said, shuddering. 

"And Mimi walks in."

"Oh shit. How—what happened?"

"She looked like she was about to kill me, got really pissed, and stalked off after slamming the door in my face."

"I don't blame her," Mark said. "If Jackie was sitting on some guy's lap that I didn't know I'd react the same way. I think."

"Yeah. So we talked it out, and she forgave me, but I still feel like shit about it. She started crying and everything. I think she expects me to walk out on her and the baby."

Mark nodded. "Her hormones are crazy, Rog, but I can see where she's coming from. She knows that there's gonna be girls hanging out of their shirts wanting to give it to you backstage, and that's always going to bother her, but you have to reassure her as the responsible fiancé and tell her that nothing like that is ever going to happen. She just needs reassurance every once in awhile."

"I know."

"So just remember to tell her that you love her and care about her every once in awhile. Mimi doesn't need big and fancy, she appreciates the little things. You know that," Mark added.

Roger nodded. "I love her, I really do Mark. I never felt this way about anyone but her, and I didn't just propose to her because she's pregnant. I want to spend whatever I have left of my life with her."

"I love you, man," Mark said, pretending to fake cry and clutching onto Roger's arm.

Roger pushed him away playfully and laughed. "Dude, get off. Dork."

Mark laughed and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

Roger squinted towards the direction of the park. "Hey, isn't that Jackie? Who's she with?"

Mark looked in the direction Roger was facing and shrugged. "I don't know. I can't see from here. Let's go over."

"Alright." Roger walked a few paces behind Mark as they crossed the street.

__________________________________________________

"Don't be an asshole about this," Jackie shouted. "I'm happy now—let me stay that way."

"You can't possibly be happy with someone like that," Josh laughed, grabbing onto her wrist. "C'mon Jac, when are you going to wake up? You don't have Natalie to protect you anymore."

"J, let's just go."

"Fuck off, Bryan. I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Let go of me," Jackie shouted at him, grabbing her wrist away. "I told you—"

"Let go of her," Mark voiced, throwing himself between Jackie and Josh.

"Get the fuck out of my face," Josh argued with him, shoving him out of the way. Mark collided into Jackie, and Roger steadied them both before stepping in front of them. Josh tore around Roger and hooked him forcefully right in his side. A loud cracking noise was heard, and Roger winced before stumbling back a few steps.

"You fucking asshole!" Jackie screamed at him, launching herself at Josh. Mark pulled her back by the waist as his fist connected with Josh's jaw.

"Holy fuck," Roger added, holding his side as he attempted to pull Mark away from Josh by the jacket. "Just let it go Mark."

"She's not good enough for you anyway. You'll never have what me and Jackie had," Josh threatened, wiping some of the blood off his lip. "She's nothing but a whore," he added, laughing. 

"Stop it Josh."

It was too late. Mark had dove again for Josh, this time pulling him down onto the ground. The two hashed it out for the next five minutes, until Bryan pulled Josh out, who was bleeding profusely from a cut above his eye, his jaw swelling as well. Roger half pulled, half forced Mark away as the two men glared at each other. 

"Fucking stay away from her," Mark yelled, diving for Josh again. Josh pulled out of Mark's grasp, and kicked him as Roger wrapped his arms around Josh's shoulders.

"STOP IT!" Jackie screamed at everyone, tears falling freely from her eyes. She threw herself at Josh as well, but was pushed aside easily, her forehead scraping against the hard concrete of the park.

"Mark, let it go!" Roger shouted at him, holding his ribs with one hand and helping Jackie to a sitting position with the other. 

The next minute took place in complete slow motion. Roger didn't even see Josh reach under his jacket, nor did he see him pull out the gun. 

The sound echoed through the crisp March air, and as Jackie scrambled to her feet, Mark fell to the ground with a dull thud. A look of satisfaction crossed Josh's face—but then was replaced by complete fear, as he fled from the area.

"GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!" Roger shouted, pulling himself over to Mark.

"MARK!" Jackie yelled, throwing herself over him. "Mark, can you hear me? Oh god, this wasn't supposed to happen! Roger, call 911!"

Roger grabbed her purse and dumped it out, her black cell phone clattering to the ground. He picked it up and dialed.

"Can you hear me? Mark?" Jackie breathed, lifting up his shirt. "Roger."

"Yeah, we're in Tompkins Square Park. My friend's been shot, hurry, okay?" Roger shouted into the phone. "What?"

"He's bleeding out all over the place," she whispered. "I think the bullet's in the abdomen, I can't tell."

Roger glared at her. "Don't you think I fucking see that? If it wasn't for your psycho son of a bitch ex boyfriend, none of this would have happened," he argued at her. "What were you doing with him anyway?"

"I was on my way home, and he just cornered me. I'm sorry Roger, I'm so fucking sorry," she cried, covering her mouth with her hand. The front of her shirt was stained in Mark's blood. "Mark?" He opened his eyes a little. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. Jackie slipped her hand through his. "I'm okay?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"The paramedics are on their way, so just hang on, okay?" Roger said. He stared down at Mark's side and noticed there was a lot of blood staining the concrete. 

"Okay," he said shallowly, squeezing Jackie's hand. "You okay…Jackie?"

Jackie nodded and rested her head onto his chest, crying. "I'm okay Mark."

Mark closed his eyes, and Roger shook him. "You gotta stay awake. The paramedics just pulled up.

"Mmhmm."

Jackie turned to Roger. "Roger I—"

He shook his head. "Go back to the loft and tell everyone what happened. I'll meet you at the hospital."

"Okay." She took one look back and started running off in the opposite direction.

"You're gonna be fine, Mark. I promise."

"Looks like a GSW to the upper right quadrant. Personal dispute?" Two paramedics hoisted Mark onto a stretcher as a third started questioning Roger as he climbed in the back of the rig. 

"Yeah. His girlfriend's ex boyfriend shot him and took off through the park."

"Can you give a physical description?"

"Yeah. So can she."

"Where is she now?"

"Back at our apartment telling my girlfriend and our friends."

"A detective will need to question you both once we reach the hospital."

Roger nodded and blinked, taking Mark's pale hand in his own. "You're gonna pull through Mark."

"Promise?" Mark said quietly.

"Promise."

Mark blinked a final time before his focus faded to black.

______________________________________________________________

Jackie pulled herself up the stairs, sobbing openly. This was never have supposed to happen, and everything was her fault. Roger hated her, and Mark was dying because of her. She figured that she might as well just kill herself and save everyone else the trouble.

She shakily gripped the doorknob and pushed it open, finding Mimi, Maureen, Collins, and Dan crowded around the TV, watching what appeared to be Romeo + Juliet.

Maureen looked up and smiled, but her face fell as soon as she took it Jackie's shabby appearance. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Jackie gulped and tried to force the tears back. "It's Mark—he's been shot." As soon as she said it, everyone was on their feet, grabbing their respective coats and belongings.

"Oh my god. Where's Roger?" Mimi asked, panicking. 

"He's okay. He went with the ambulance to the hospital."

"Which one?" Collins asked.

"I—oh god, I don't know," she said, the tears sliding down her cheeks again. "This is all my fault."

"No sweetie, don't say that." Maureen wrapped her arm around her.

"Yes it is! It was my ex boyfriend who shot him," Jackie said.

"Jesus."

_______________________________________________________

They reached NYU Medical Center within ten minutes, due to Maureen's ability to speed through the streets of Manhattan under pressure. So much for defensive driving.

As they all piled out of her Acura, Collins led the way to reception. "Did the paramedics happen to bring in a Mark Cohen and Roger Davis?" The charge nurse looked back at the board and nodded.

"Yeah, about fifteen minutes ago. Mark Cohen just went up to surgery, and Roger Davis is in Exam 2," she said.

"Thanks. It's this hospital guys!" Collin called over. "We'll meet you upstairs, Mimi."

She nodded as Collins, Maureen, Jackie, and Dan headed off to the elevators. Mimi walked quickly down the hallway, pausing and knocking outside the door. "Hi."

"Hey," Roger said. His shirt was off, and an ID bracelet was placed around his left wrist. A middle aged doctor stood off to the side, making some notes on his chart as Roger leaned back a little on the adjusted bed. "They were just about to send me upstairs for x-rays."

"Hello, I'm Dr. Peterson. And you are?" he asked, sticking out his hand for Mimi to shake.

"Mimi Marquez, Roger's fiancée."

"Oh congratulations," he added. A smile crossed Roger's face as Mimi nodded. "Well, Mr. Davis is very lucky that one of the ribs didn't puncture his lung."

"Are they broken?"

"Two are broken, and a third is bruised, but we're going to send him upstairs to do a full chest x-ray series to make sure everything's okay. A nurse will be right along with a wheelchair."

Mimi nodded again as Dr. Peterson left. She handed Roger the hospital gown, which he slowly pulled over his head, wincing. "You're okay?" she whispered. He nodded and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I'll be okay. I've had broken ribs before. Do you know anything else about Mark?" he asked, trying to scoot over to give Mimi some room on the bed.

"No, I'm sorry. I just got here and everyone else went upstairs. God, what happened?" she asked, curling up against him gently and resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Me and Mark were walking around and talking, and then he spotted Jackie in the park. We walked over and it looked like Josh—that's Jackie's ex boyfriend—was giving Jackie a hard time about something and just generally being an overall shit. So Mark told him to back off, and I got in the middle of it and Josh's fist collided with my left side." Mimi sighed and took his hand into her own. "Then Mark and Josh went at. I'm proud of that kid—he was really beating the shit out of Josh. I told him to let it go and pulled him away from Josh, but then out of nowhere he pulls out a gun, shoots Mark in the stomach, and runs away."

"Oh my god," Mimi said, her eyes starting to tear up. "I'm sorry—my hormones are all crazy," she said.

Roger shook his head and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her closer to him. "Shh, it's okay." He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Davis, Dr. Peterson sent me to take you upstairs." 

"Yeah." Roger stood up and took a seat, however reluctantly, in the wheelchair.

"Mark's gonna be okay, Roger."

"I hope so."

_____________________________________________________

**NEXT UP**: Mark comes out of surgery.

And the moral of this chapter is: Don't antagonize psycho ex boyfriends, because they tend to get violent and shoot you when you stand in the way of something they want. Stupid Josh. You're going to jail, buddy!


	27. 27

CHAPTER 27 

Some answers for my reviewers:

**Daydreamer731**: Thank you for the comments, and you're such a fun person to talk to online. :)

**elodie**: Yes, Mark's gonna be fine, and yes, my story is getting kind of dysfunctional. Whoa, guess I better look into fixing that lol.

**DirtyFlower:** ROFL, you definitely made me crack up when I read your review. _"Mark, you can make it!  Believe in the butterflies!"_

**Kelby**: Josh is definitely going bye bye. Kind of had to kick him out eventually, he had no business being in my story anymore. He did have a point, being the jealous, psycho, gun brandishing fiend of Jackie's that he was (kind of makes you think twice about who you date, lol), but no more Josh. As for Roger/Harvey/April/Jackie thing, all will be revealed in the upcoming chapters. I'm evil, I suppose.

Extra thanks goes out to **DragonGurl83**, **Eponine54, **and **Markys gurl **(yay! Your reviews are always fun to read, hehe).

You guys all rock my effin socks, and keep the reviews rolling in because I definitely enjoy getting feedback on what you all think.

33 Mari

_________________________________________________________

****

Jackie had been pacing the surgical waiting room for the past hour. Maureen was curled up in a chair, sipping some hospital coffee and flipping through an old copy of _Cosmopolitan_as Dan and Collins were making idle conversation a few chairs down.

"Hey Mo?" Collins asked, as Jackie walked past him again. "Do you maybe think we should try to get her another shirt?"

Maureen looked up at him and nodded. "I'll ask one of the nurses for something. Maybe they'll bring out a scrub top," she replied. "Has anyone called Mark's parents? Or Lisa?"

Collins shook his head slowly. "I called Joanne in Boston. She'll be on the next flight out."

Maureen ignored his statement almost as if to say 'Joanne who?'. "I'll use the payphone by the nurses' station. Somebody better check on Roger too."

"I'll do it," Dan said, standing up and stretching. He gave Collins a quick kiss before exiting the waiting room. 

"Jackie? Do you want to come with me for a second?" Maureen questioned, placing her hand gently on Jackie's elbow.

"What—yeah," she said, following Maureen down the hall.

"We'll be back in a little bit."

_________________________________________________________

"Okay, I'm leaving you with a prescription for painkillers, about 30 of them. Take one pill twice a day, but no more than two pills per day. They should last you for 15 days, or roughly two weeks. I want you to keep them wrapped most of the time—unless you're showering, but you can take the ace bandages off if you feel the need to let the area breathe. Ice and heat, on and off can help greatly, so I'd suggest doing that as well. I want to see you again in two weeks to check how they're healing, and if you have any questions you can always call me or stop in." Dr. Peterson signed the prescription and handed it to Roger.

"Thanks."

Mimi was sitting on a chair near Roger's bed and stood up to help him pull his shirt over his head again as he stood up.

"Roger—"

"Let's just go, okay? I'm really worried about Mark."

"Okay."

______________________________________________________________________

_after all the battles and the wars  
the scars and loss  
 the walls are down_

_ a little more each day  
since you came, finally_

_…finally things are changing_

"Honey, no one's blaming you," Maureen said, checking her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. 

Jackie splashed some more water on her face and shrugged. "Roger is."

Maureen cracked a smile and handed Jackie a paper towel. "Roger has a stick permanentely wedged up the crack of his ass. We've all come to accept this."

Jackie tied the scrub top in the back and nodded. "Yeah, but Roger has everyone reason to hate me. He barely knows me, but Mark's his best friend."

"That's not true. I know Roger think you're really good for Mark, but sweetie this could have happened to anyone!" Maureen tossed the paper towels into the trash. "You're not going to help anyone by blaming yourself."

"But what if he doesn't make it Mo?" Jackie sniffed.

"Let's just say he's got an Angel watching over him," Maureen added, opening the bathroom door. "So do you wanna go and face the circus with me?" 

"Oh, um, maybe later. I was just going to go and take a walk," she said. Maureen nodded and gave Jackie a tight hug. 

"I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah."

I'm comin' around to open the blinds 

_You can't hide here any longer_

My God you need to rinse those puffy eyes 

_You can't last here any longer_

_And yes they'll ask you where you've been_

_And you'll have to tell them again and again_

Jackie made her way down the hall, finally sliding against the vending machines. Her head was throbbing, and she was in desperate need of a shower. Even some of the blood was still caked in her hair, although she tried to rinse most of it out in the bathroom with Maureen's help.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she felt was someone shaking her shoulder. Her eyes shot open and she jumped.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Miss Ferrell, but I need to ask you some questions about the crime scene." 

Jackie nodded and stood up, wiping her eyes once again. She took note of Roger and the two men standing in front of her." Okay."

"I'm Detective John Miller, with the NYPD, and this Detective Walker.

Walker smiled and shook her hand politely.

"It looks like no one's in this exam room, so why don't you and Roger take a seat on the bed, and if you don't mind we'd like to ask you both some questions," Miller continued, leading them towards the room and closing the door.

"Relax Davis, you're not in trouble," Walker added, noticing Roger's nervousness.

Roger cracked a smile. "Okay."

"Okay, so right now I need both of you to describe to me exactly what took place. You first, Roger." Detective Miller pulled out his notepad.

"Uh, okay. Well, Mark and I had decided to take a walk around the East Village to talk about a few things, like we do sometimes. We were heading in the direction of Tompkins Square Park when Mark noticed Jackie being hassled by her ex boyfriend, Josh. Mark insisted that we go over, because it looked like Josh was being a real dickhead to her. So we do, and Mark told him to leave her alone and back off, and then I stepped in between them to prevent a fight, or whatever. Josh lunged at me to get to Mark and broke two of my ribs, then he and Mark started going at it. I eventually tried to drag Mark away, but neither one of them would give it up. Then Josh pulled the gun out and…shot him before running away."

Miller jotted a few things down before turning his head towards Jackie. "Do you agree with everything Mr. Davis just said?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now what exactly were you doing with Josh? We have a record of an expired restraining order against him here, and paperwork for a new one with a trial set up for the 1st of April."

Jackie nodded. "I was on my way home and decided to take the shortcut through the park, and apparently Josh and his friend Bryan were goofing around. I tried to walk the other way, but it was too late and he already had noticed me. We shared a few words and argued for about five minutes before Mark came."

"Mmhmm. Now what about the restraining orders?"

"Josh and I dated on and off for two years, before I met Mark. We broke up for good in December, and by that point a temporary restraining order I had filed against him had expired. It's just a lot of bullshit, really—he made a few threatening phone calls to my job and ended up following me home one day, but thankfully my friend Harvey spotted them and called me before anything could happen." She looked down at her hands before continuing. "I made a complaint to he police and they said they would take care of it, which they obviously didn't."

"I see. Can you give me a physical description of Josh? Full name, current residence, anything?"

"Yeah. His full name is Joshua Scott O'Connell. White male, stands about 6'0, 170 pounds. Blue eyes, short reddish blonde hair, but curly in the front."

"Slim, toned, heavyset?"

"Toned. He's a personal trainer."

"Uh huh. All right, we'll scan the description in. We already have cops scouting the East Village area."

"Thanks."

Walker cleared his throat and stood up. "Alright then, I'm going to head down to the station with Detective Miller here, but keep me posted if anything changes?"

Roger nodded, not exactly sure how he was supposed to keep him

 posted if he didn't even know the number down there. "Sure thing."

They cleared out of the room after that, leaving Roger and Jackie alone.

"How are your ribs?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"They hurt like a bitch, but I'll be okay. You wanna go check on Mark?"

"Yeah."

You probably don't want to hear tomorrow's another day 

_Well I promise you you'll see the sun again_

_And you're asking me why pain's the only way to happiness_

_And I promise you you'll see the sun again_

_Come on and take my hand_

_We're going for a walk_

_I know you can_

_You can wear anything _

_As long as it's not black_

_Please don't mourn forever_

**She's not coming back.**

**________________________________________________________________**

"Anyone have any Advil?" Maureen called out, looking to Dan, Roger, and Mimi. Each shook their head.

"I could go for that and some Midol," Jackie called out. Roger made a face and Mimi grinned.

"So glad I don't have to suffer through that anymore," she said.

"So am I," Roger added.

"Hey!" 

"Sorry."

"Roger, can I have one of your Percosets?" Maureen asked nicely.

"No. Besides, I don't even have the prescription filled yet, and just no, Mo. Just no."

"Heh, that rhymed," Mimi laughed. "Just no Mo. No Mo!"

Roger looked at her strangely and placed his hand on her forehead. "You okay?"

"Sure."

"Why don't you all just ask the nurses? This is called a hospital, after all," Dan laughed from the corner.

"I think the heater's broken in the loft again," Maureen said, changing the subject.

"You've gotta be shittin' me."

"No, am I not shitting you," Maureen said sarcastically.

"Shitting you? Who says that?" Dan yawned. 

"I do."

"Shut up, Roger," Mimi complained.

"God, it's almost 11. Is anyone ever going to come out and give us some news?"

"Everyone just please be quiet," Jackie complained, massaging her head. 

"Roger, give me my bag. I need a tampon."

"Get it yourself," he grumped. 

Roger and Dan looked thoroughly disgusted by this. Maureen got up and started digging through her purse, pulling out a tampon. Roger was watching her, amused.

"Can I see one of those?" he asked.

"What for?" Mimi asked. "Wanna play with it?"

"Hah. Funny," he said sarcastically. "I've been through about every single one of these magazines and I'm tired of watching the TV."

"You have the attention span of a 4 year old," Dan added. "I can't believe Collins left me here with all of you to go to the airport."

"Okay, grouchy pants," Maureen said. "Do you want a tampon to play with too?"

Roger threw him one and they started unwrapping it, as Mimi got up to sit next to Maureen.

"This is something I thought I'd never see," she added, amused.

"Hah. I bet I can shoot it across the room farther than you can," Roger challenged.

"You're on. Ready…set…GO!" 

"Oh. My. God," Collins said, laughing as he entered the room with Joanne. Maureen sent an icy stare her way, which Joanne ignored.  "What in the hell are you doing?" He took one look at the two tampons lying in the middle of the surgical waiting room and shot a look at Roger. "Are you loaded up on painkillers or something?"

"No, just bored."

"Well, magical tampon boy, I'm sorry to inform you that you were born without a vagina, so unfortunately your fun stops right about there." Joanne muttered, laughing. "And you both let him do this?"

"Yeah, why the hell not. I have no control over him anyway. Only in the bedroom," Mimi said, looking at her nails.

"That's not what you said last night. 'Oh Roger, harder!'" He laughed. Maureen bent down to pick up the tampons and threw them in the trash.

Mimi ignored him as Maureen slapped him on the side of the head. 

"Ow! I'm in pain here!"

Roger and Maureen started arguing as a tall doctor walked in, still dressed in scrubs.

"Hey guys. I'm Dr. Walton, and I was the attending surgeon on Mark today."

"How is he?" Jackie asked. "Is he okay?"

"He's just fine. The bullet lodged itself between the abdomen and the liver, and we removed that and repaired some minor tissue and arterial damage. He did lose a lot of blood, but we gave him blood transfusions and he's really pinking up now."

"Can we see him?" Roger asked, standing up.

Dr. Walton nodded. "I'm afraid I can only let two of you in there, because visiting hours are over. He was just extubated, so he might have a little trouble talking, but other than that he's in recovery—awake and groggy. The anesthesia's wearing off, but he'll probably be moved to his own ICU room within the next hour."

"So when can he go home?"

"We want to keep him for a few days to make sure there's no infection or sign of a fever, but probably by next Friday we can send him on his way."

"Thanks," Roger added. 

"No problem." Dr. Walton left, and Roger looked around at everyone. "Jackie, why don't you just go? Tell Mark that I'll see him in the morning."

Mimi nodded, and Jackie stood up. "Okay. I'll see you both back at the loft."

"Yeah," Roger winced, holding his hand against his ribs.

____________________________________________________________________

Jackie followed Dr. Walton down the hall and to a private room across from the nurses' station. "He's right in there. Looks like they moved him to a room sooner than I would have thought. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks," she nodded. "Do you think it would be okay if I spent the night?"

"Don't see why not. The nurses' might come in to switch IV bags and add antibiotics to the central line, but I'll put a note in that you're staying. Have a good night."

"You too." Jackie entered Mark's room, trying to be as quiet as possible. He looked like he was asleep.

"Hey." She was wrong.

"Hey," she answered, coming over to sit next to him on the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty out of it," he said groggily. "No pain though." He smiled a little and she kissed him on the forehead.

"Good." She brushed his hair back off his forehead and sighed. "I'm so sorry Mark."

"It's okay, Jac. He won't hurt you again, I promise. If you really want to we can talk about it later. You're okay right?"

Jackie laughed a little. "Yeah, I'm fine, are you?"

"I think so. I have all the right parts in the right places, including the important one."

"Looks like they're won't be any of that for awhile."

"How about for my homecoming present?" he asked, shutting his eyes a little.

"We'll see how you feel."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine. Did anyone call my parents?"

"No, Maureen wanted to, but said that she didn't know if you'd want them to know."

Mark nodded. "Good, I'm glad she didn't. Don't tell them, I don't want them here right now."

"Okay, I won't."

"Are you staying for the night?"

"Yeah. I'll probably just crash on the chair over there."

"What for? There's enough room in the bed. Just don't roll over on me or anything," he said, smiling.

"I won't." Jackie stretched out on his right side, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. "Night."

"Night," he yawned. "I love you." He kissed her forehead.

"I love you too."

__________________________________________________________________________

Mimi rolled over, checking the digital alarm clock. 2 AM. Maureen was snoring softly from the other room, and she heard the TV from the living room, which meant Roger was wide-awake. She wished he would have come to bed, but after they got back to the loft from the pharmacy, he said he'd be able to sleep better if he was propped up. Didn't look that way now.

She pulled the sheets off of her and pulled her sweatshirt on, yawning as she walked over to the couch, where Roger was watching another music special, this time on Stevie Ray Vaughn. "Can't sleep?"

He shook his head, and Mimi knew he was miserable, and probably in a lot of pain. "Nope."

She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed some ice from the freezer, wrapping it in the dishtowel. "Here," she added, handing it to him.

"This really sucks."

"I'm sorry," she said, running her hands from his hair.

"Everything. Mark and my fucking ribs."

"Did you take your painkillers?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the couch. 

"Yeah. I took one, so I could take two tomorrow."

"Okay. Helping any?"

"Yeah, they're taking the edge off, but I can't really move that well. You don't realize how much you've been taking for granted when it takes you a full five minutes to walk from the couch to the bathroom and back again."

Mimi laughed. "Are you cold?"

"Nah, it's kind of warm in here actually."

  
"I'll turn the heater down if you want," she said, adjusting the setting before leaning against the couch again.

"You should go to bed, you look tired," he said.

"I'm okay."

"Seriously, I'm okay. I'll see you in the morning?" he asked, wrapping his one arm around her and giving her a kiss.

"Okay," she said, kissing him back. "Let me know if you need anything. Night baby."

"Night."

______________________________________________________________________

NEXT UP: Roger's gig; Mark comes home to the hospital.


	28. 28

CHAPTER 28

Thanks guys for the reviews! 33

ONE WEEK LATER

"Mmm it smells good in here!" Maureen said, yawning and coming into the kitchen.  "What are you making?"

"Chili," Mimi answered, taking a seat on the barstool. Maureen walked over to the stove and lifted the lid on the pot, inhaling it.

"God that smells yummy. Did Roger leave already?"

Mimi nodded and stood up again, placing a hand behind her back. "Yeah. He left for the hospital to get Mark about an hour ago with Jackie."

Maureen nodded and watched as Mimi stirred the chili. She finished and turned back to Maureen, but stopped in her tracks halfway. "Honey, you okay?"

Mimi nodded and smiled a little. "Yeah. I'm fine." She started laughing a little and shook her head as Maureen looked at her oddly.

"Are you sure?"

Mimi placed a hand on her stomach and nodded. "Yup. I think I just felt the baby move, that's all."

"That's all? Oh my god, let me feel!" she squealed, running over to Mimi and placing her hand on Mimi's stomach. "I don't feel anything."

Mimi shrugged. "It wasn't like a real kick or anything. Just kind of a flutter, like when you get butterflies in your stomach, except different. I think."

"Aww. I wanted to feel it."

"Just wait. By next month I'll be poked, prodded, and stomped on more than now, so believe me, you'll have your chance." 

Maureen smiled and poured some juice into a glass. "So when do you find out what it is?"

"I go to the doctor for my 18 week checkup and for the ultrasound on Tuesday. It's Friday. You do the math," she added, laughing.

"We have the baby pool going already."

"Oh yeah? Who's winning?"

"Collins and Dan threw down $50 each, swearing that it's a boy and that it'll be two weeks late." She put the juice back in the fridge and set the glass on the counter.

"Oh great," Mimi said, rolling her eyes.

"Jackie and Mark agreed on it being a girl for $40, and I say it's a girl for another $60."

"Roger says it's a boy this week, but all of last week he claimed that it was a girl," Mimi added, smiling and placing her hand on her stomach. "You hear that baby? Everyone's spending money on you already and you're not even here."

"Anybody around?" Roger asked. Maureen ran off into the living room, where Roger was helping Mark into the living room and onto the couch. Jackie followed closely behind, bringing a bag full of Mark's clothes with her. 

"Hey," Mimi greeted, giving Roger a quick kiss on the lips. "How are you feeling Mark?"

"I'm okay. Can everyone stop asking me that?" he asked, looking a little frustrated.

"Mimi felt the baby move!" Maureen announced, as Mimi shot her a look.

"You did?" Roger asked, walking over and lifting up her shirt to place his hands underneath. "I don't feel anything."

"Because it's not moving right now. Besides, it was only a little flutter, and I'm not gonna get a full kick for a while," she said, as he gave her another kiss.

"How do you know that?" Jackie asked, taking a seat next to Mark on the couch.

"I've been reading **'What to Expect When You're Expecting**," she answered, shrugging. "I made real food Mark."

"Like what?" he asked. 

"Chili." 

"No way," Roger said. "Isn't that gonna give you heartburn or indigestion?"

"I'll worry about it later. Besides, I was craving something spicy."

"Oh. Fuck," he shouted, resting his hand against his side.

"Take your pills. How do your ribs feel?"

"I don't know. They hurt still, but not as much." He walked into the kitchen.

"What are you all waiting for?" she asked, following him. "I didn't spend an hour slaving over the stove for nothing."

________________________________________________________________________

Jackie walked into Mark's room, her hair pulled up into a towel. Mark was sitting on the bed, propped up against some pillows and looking through a file from work.

"Hey," she greeted, pulling a shirt on and a pair of Mark's sweatpants.

"Hey," he added, patting the side of the bed. She climbed over to him, and he carefully pulled her onto his lap. "How about I get that coming home present?"

Jackie smiled as he kissed her, running his hands under her shirt. "I want it just as much as you do—" she said in between kisses. "But you heard what the doctor said. He didn't want you to pull your stitches and you just told me yourself before that you were still sore."

Mark pretended to pout and started kissing her neck. "But Jackie…"

"Stop it Mark. You're 25 years old," she laughed, as his lips found her mouth again.

"I don't care if I pull my stitches—it'll be worth it. I've been celibate for one week and two days," he whined, rubbing her back.

"And you forget that I've gone the same amount of time too," she whispered in his ear as she climbed off of him. "I've gotta pack."

"So you'll be back tomorrow?"

"Yup. The service is at noon, I'll be back by 4 and in the loft by 6 the latest," she said. "You feeling up to going to Roger's gig tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, but this time I'm definitely not dancing," he laughed. "I think I'll just sit all night and be a wallflower."

"Sounds good to me."

"Good, because you're playing the role of the wallflower's girlfriend."

______________________________________________________________________

"It's really snowing out there," Roger said, glancing out the window.

"When did that happen?" Mimi asked, resting the popcorn bowl on her stomach and looking behind her.

He shrugged and sat back down. "I guess when we were eating."

"Is it sticking?"

"Yeah." He sat down slowly, trying to find a good position to sit on the couch, but at the same time give Mimi enough room to stretch out.

"Great," she mumbled, placing the bowl on the floor as she got up. Roger stretched his feet out in place of where she was sitting as she walked into the kitchen and pulled out the vanilla ice cream. 

"You're having that now?" 

"Why not? I'm hungry." She took out a bowl and started scooping out the ice cream.

"You just had popcorn."

"So fucking what? I'm pregnant, I'm hungry, and I'm entitled to eat what I want when I want to," she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Damn, sorry."

She flung the spoon in the sink and sat at the island, placing the bowl in front of her. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just being a bitch lately."

"Nah, it's okay."

"You're mad at me."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are! You have that look," she argued back.

Roger laughed. "What look?"

"That look you get when I piss you off."

"Whatever."

"Arg. So I was thinking about the wedding—"

"And?"

"I called my mom today. She and Carl are coming, but only my sister Isabel can make it. Carmen and her husband are going to be in Spain for a business trip, but my mom is bringing their daughter Amaya with her. Veronica has a gymnastics competition that weekend, and is going to be in Houston with her high school team from Friday until Tuesday. So basically, my mom is flying down there, then flying in Sunday morning, and flying back late Sunday night after the reception."

"Okay."

"Roger are you even listening?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Yeah."

"Then I called Sofia, and she said she, Juan, and Celeste would fly up from Buenos Aires on Friday with my grandmother. They made reservations in the Waldorf-Astoria in midtown, and they'll probably leave the following Saturday. I guess they turned it into some sort of vacation."

"Okay."

"Then I called your mother."

Roger looked over and stared at her. "You did what?"

"I called her. She said she'd be more than happy to come to the wedding, and that your father will be on his best behavior. Jimmy, Kim, and the boys can make it, and so can Joey and his girlfriend. I talked to Lindsey too, and she's coming up here next Sunday with Marissa so Mo and I can figure out her measurements for her bridesmaid gown and Marissa's flower girl dress." She took another bite of her ice cream and swallowed. "Oh, and Heather and Miguel can make it too. They're both flying in from Italy. They're visiting Miguel's parents."

"What, did my mom give you the whole family history too?" he added, rolling his eyes.

Mimi ignored him. "Lisa and Matt are stopping by next weekend too, so hopefully Mark will be on his feet by then."

"Great."

She glared at him. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing."

"I'm getting really fed up with you lately."

"Good."

"Excuse me?"

He sighed. "It's just that all you talk about lately is the wedding, and I'm getting so tired of hearing about it," he complained.

"Because whether you like it or not, there's a lot to plan!" she shouted. "I don't understand you. You want to get married, but then you don't seem like it. Just make up your mind already."

"I do want to marry you, but—"

"But what?"

"I don't want a lot of people."

"Roger…"

"I don't okay? Why can't we just keep it something small?"

"Because if we're getting married I'd rather we do it the right way!" she shouted, placing her ice cream bowl in the sink.

"I know. So do I. We can always elope?" he suggested.

"I'm tired. Let's just talk about in the morning, okay?"

"Fine."


	29. 29

CHAPTER 29

____________________________________________________

"The door," Mark mumbled, running his hands up and down Jackie's back. "Get the door."

Jackie grabbed her head and slid out of bed, trying to regain her balance and not puke at the same time. It was 6 AM, and she, Mark, Roger, and Mimi hadn't gotten in until 2 AM after Roger's gig. They had reason to celebrate, considering The Well Hungarians had a meeting with a record label affiliated with a major record company the following Monday.

Jackie shuffled into the living room, flicking on the lights before she opened the door. "Harvey? What are you doing here? When did you get back?" she asked, stepping aside to let him in.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, thrusting a piece of paper at her. Jackie scanned it, her mouth dropping.

"Didn't tell you what?"

"About him."

"About who? Harvey, it's really early," she said, resting her hand against her head. 

"About Roger."

"What about him?" Jackie heard movement in Roger's room, and then the door creaked open, as Mimi slipped through, Roger right behind her.

"I was going through a bunch of Natalie's things at her place and I found this. And this. You both knew about him, and you didn't tell me."

"What are you talking about?" Jackie said. 

"Can we help you with something?" Roger asked, as Mimi sat down on the couch, hand resting on her stomach.

"Sure, you can help me with a lot of things, like for one, why you killed my sister and didn't stop her when she was injecting that shit in her veins," he spat at him angrily.

"Whoa, excuse me? I didn't kill April," Roger added angrily.

Jackie said nothing as Mark slowly walked into the room. "What's going on?" he yawned.

"No, but you just sat back as you watched," Harvey said sarcastically.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Where were you when we were together? April didn't mention you once—not once," Roger added, advancing towards him.

"Just shut up Roger," Mimi said, standing up and glaring at him, arms crossed over her chest. 

"Stay out of it Mimi," he growled, not even bothering to turn around and look at her.

"I'm not going to stay fucking out of it any more. She's gone, Roger, okay? Stop putting her on this goddamn pedestal you have her on! I'm so sick of it! It's like you have to tiptoe around her name. You can't even say the month April and you get freaked out about it," she said angrily.

"You don't know."

"Don't know what? You're holding on to something that has been gone for over three years! You have me, and you have this baby. You have your band. If we can't make you happy, then I don't know what else can!" she shouted at him. "Nothing is ever good enough for you Roger! Nothing! You hate your family, you hate the world, you hate your fucking life, and I'm starting to think you hate me too," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Mark looked on as Roger visibly calmed down some at the sight of Mimi sobbing on the couch. Jackie had walked over to her and put her arm around her, stroking her hair as she cried into her shoulder.

"Mimi—" Roger said, walking over to her and placing his hand on her arm.

"Don't touch me," she whispered, refusing to look at him. He shot a glare at Harvey before grabbing his jacket off the hook and taking off, slamming the door in everyone's face.

"I'm sorry everyone," she said, standing up and wiping her eyes.

"It's okay, Meems," Mark said, giving her a small smile. "It'll be okay."

"I don't think so Mark," she said, retreating to her room and closing the door softly.

"Harvey, wait outside for me, okay? We'll take a walk around the city," she said. He nodded and shut the door behind him.

"I'm sorry Mark," she said, walking over to him. "I didn't think he would show up like this."

"It's okay, I guess. I just don't think he had any right showing up here and throwing April in Roger's face. You know how Roger is about that."

"No, I don't."

"Look, I've gotta find Roger first. We'll talk about it later. Do what you have to do," he said, walking back into the bedroom and slamming the door in her face.

_______________________________________________________________

"I'm really sorry Jac. I didn't mean to piss all of your friends off."

"Nah, it's okay. I understand where you're coming from. I just thought you knew that Roger was…Roger," she said, placing her coffee mug back on the table. Considering Harvey's leg was still in a brace, they had only walked about 3 blocks over from the loft, finally settling in Starbucks.

He shrugged. "I recognized the face, but I didn't put two plus two together, you know? I feel like an asshole now."

"Don't. It just hasn't been an easy three months on them—or any of us for that matter."

"She's been gone a month, Jac, and it still seems like yesterday that we were all goofing off at rehearsal. But the funny thing is, it's not as hard getting up in the morning anymore—like each day I think about her less and less. I don't mean to, but with work and sitting out during rehearsals, it's just weird. I feel like I'm forgetting about her."

"I know. I've been really selfish lately too. Every time I think about Natalie I want to sit down and cry. I've been pushing Mark away so much, and then the whole shooting incident with Josh—I feel responsible for everything. I think I'm a shit girlfriend with two many fucking problems," she added, taking a bite of her bagel. "And then the people I care about get hurt, and I hurt all the time because of it."

"Josh is a bastard, and he had no right to do that to Mark, but don't hold yourself responsible for what he did. You don't have any control over him—never had—and you can't blame yourself for something like that. Does Mark?"

Jackie shook her head. "No, I don't think so, but I still feel so horrible about it. Roger's been weird around me, but I know that's because Mark's his best friend and—god, whatever, I'm so sick of talking about it."

"Yeah. So what's up with Roger anyway?" Harvey asked.

"I honestly don't know him that well. We talk sometimes, and we have good times together, but every time something from the past gets brought up—like April—I feel like I'm watching from the sidelines. I know it's not my place to know, but then Mark gets pissed about it, or gives me the cold shoulder when I tell him I don't know how Roger reacts to things."

"But you did know April."

"I know. I probably knew her better than Mark and Roger did combined, but how do I tell them that? And then Mimi fucking goes off about her, but my god, April was the sweetest person I knew. Sure, she was starting to get bad with heroin when I lost contact with her, but I don't know. I loved her too."

"I know you did, Jac."

Things were silent for a few minutes. "_Romeo and Juliet_ starts the last week of April, doesn't it?"

Jackie nodded. "Yeah. Rehearsals are going to be killer the week before on out."

"You don't sound too thrilled about it," Harvey said, laughing a little.

"I know. It's just that I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I remember one of the last things Natalie said to me was that she had always wanted to open a dance school with me."

"So you want to teach dance and dance professionally at the same time?" he asked.

"How about more like you and me," she added, taking another sip of her coffee. 

"Meaning us? Opening a dance school? Where?"

"We'll find someplace. I'm sure there's gotta be an empty floor to some building for sale or rent somewhere around here."

"That's ambitious."

"It's what Natalie wanted," Jackie reminded him. "Who says we can't hire people to teach with us? This way we can cover the day classes, and they can cover the night classes when we can't."

"Okay. This is a lot to think about."

"Good, because seeing as you can't exactly dance for about another month, I'm leaving the floor searching and renting to you," she said, smiling.

______________________________________________________________________

Jackie entered Mark's room, surprised to find him not sprawled out on the bed. The loft was eerily empty—and cold. As she took off her jacket, she noticed a small piece of folded white paper on the comforter, her name etched across it in Mark's familiar handwriting. She carefully picked it up and opened it, scanning the first few lines.

_Jackie,_

I was sitting in the park today, trying to clear my head, and the first thing I thought about was you, or rather, us. I'm not good at these sort of letters, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you in any way. I think the main reason we've been clinging onto each other is because we both need someone stable in our lives, and we've found that together. I think what we both need right now is a break—perhaps not that long of a break, but some amount of time where we can both really figure out what we need in our lives. I'm not abandoning you…

_Love,_

_Mark_

It hit Jackie like a sledgehammer—and in that moment, everything came rushing back at her in a flurry of events and faces. Growing up with her family in Sydney, her parents' divorce, stepping off the plane at Newark, arriving in the city when she was 18, meeting Natalie, meeting Harvey, dancing with the New York City Ballet, meeting Josh, the fights, losing their baby, meeting Mark, sleeping with Mark, Natalie's car accident, Josh shooting Mark—

"Jackie. Jackie, wake up. Jackie."

Jackie shot up from the couch, her breath catching in her throat. "Oh god," she said. "You're not gone—you didn't leave me. Fuck, it was only a dream," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mark pulled her towards him, rubbing her back as she buried her face in his shoulder. "No, I'm right here. I just got out of the shower and I heard you crying in your sleep. What happened?"

She shook her head and only cried harder as he continued rubbing her back and kissed her softly on the top of her head. "I thought you left me. You wrote this note and told me you needed a break and you needed to figure out—what you needed, and that wasn't me," she said, trying to speak between her sobs. 

"Jackie, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he said, as she clung onto his shirt. "I promise. I'm sorry I was upset with you before when you left with Harvey."

"I'm so sorry. I've been such a shit girlfriend to you. I'm sorry," she said, pulling away from him and wiping her eyes.

"Hey, none of this is your fault. What happened to me with Josh isn't your fault. You know I love you, right?" he asked, looking in to her eyes.

"I know, I love you too. But I haven't been open with you about a lot of things—about my past," she whispered, lying back against him.

"You don't have to say anything if you're not ready. It's okay," he said, brushing some of her hair off her forehead.

"I know—but I want you to know," she said. "Just not in here, okay?" she said, glancing around the loft. "Are Mimi and Roger here?"

"Yeah, they made up about half an hour ago. You had fallen asleep," he added, bringing her to a standing position with him.

"Okay," she added, wrapping her arm carefully around his waist, as to not press on his stitches.

"We can just lay down for awhile?" he suggested, opening the door to his room, then shutting it after her.

"That's fine."

___________________________________________________________________________

"So tell me about Sydney?" 

Jackie looked up at him. "What do you want to know about it?"

"I don't know. What it was like, I guess. Have you ever seen kangaroos and koalas, that sort of thing," he joked, running his hand up and down Jackie's side.

"Oh you're amusing Cohen. Yeah, I have seen kangaroos and koalas, but not in the zoo like here. Actually out in the Outback. My father and I went on a safari a few times, before I left for the States."

Mark grinned. "Were you a surfer, or a surfer chick?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean did you surf, or did you just hang on all the guys?"

Jackie rolled her eyes as Mark laughed and kissed her neck. "I surfed. Actually, my best friend Shawn and I surfed together a lot. He's really good. Awesome. He and his friends compete and everything, professionally. When we go, I'm teaching you. It's a given. You can't go to Australia and not learn how to surf," she added.

"Oh yeah? And when would you like to go?" he asked.

Jackie gave it some thought before responding. "I'd like to go before Mimi and Roger get married. Maybe the second week of April? We can spend two weeks there. This way I have enough time to see my family, and we have enough time to ourselves."

Mark nodded. "That's fine. Sounds good. I won't be back in work until the end of April anyway. Doctor's orders," he laughed. 

"Yeah, but you get paid for medical leave," she reminded him. "I don't get paid for vacation time."

"So think of it as a nice vacation before you start the show."

"Yeah."

"What do your parents do?" Mark asked, pulling the comforter over them.

"My parents are divorced—"

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, it was a long time ago. When I was 13. My mom—Nancy is a nurse. She lives in Melbourne now with my stepfather Kevin and their daughter—my stepsister—Marlee. She has to be about 8 now. My sister Kate lives with my father, Jacob, in his house in Sydney with my stepmother Karen. He owns his own investment company downtown."

Mark nodded. "Is he loaded?"

Jackie blushed and shrugged. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" he laughed. "I'm not judging you because of it."

"Good, because when most people find out, they do."

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm not most people," he added. 

Jackie nodded. "So after I graduated high school, I spent the summer saying goodbye to my friends, and I was on a plane to the States by mid August. I was enrolled in classes at NYU in the fall and attending class at NYCB. I met Natalie on the first day there, and we used to hate each other. It was competitive, so naturally all the girls talked all kinds of shit behind each other's backs. Eventually we got over each other and were close ever since," she laughed. 

"When was the last time you saw your family?"

"Christmas of my freshman year of college. I haven't seen them since, and I haven't talked to them as much either."

Mark was rubbing her back in slow circles. "They didn't fly here for graduation?"

Jackie shook her head. "Nope. But by then I had Harvey and Natalie, and that was all that mattered. Shawn flew up though, so at least someone from home did."

"Yeah. Did you—did you know April?" he asked, hesitating. He wasn't sure how comfortable Jackie was with the topic, and noticed that she didn't say anything for a few minutes before finally responding.

"I did know April. Except the April I knew wasn't the same April you and Roger knew," she said slowly. "I met her in the fall of my freshman year—we shared a dorm together with another girl, and she was in a few of my classes. She was the sweetest person—and hilarious too. We used to go out to poetry readings and gigs around the city on the weekends. She was the type of person that really loved life, you know?" She shifted on the bed, pressing her hips into Mark's back more to get comfortable. 

"Is that how you met Harvey?" Mark asked.

"No. I met Harvey in the same class I met Natalie. They had just started dating then. One day, Harvey and I went out for coffee because he was having some problems with Natalie, and he just brought her up. After that, it was always the four of us hanging out together. We were inseparable for the most part."

"What happened to her?"

"After sophomore year, she was already into coke and speed. She started partying, and would bring guys home constantly. I moved out that summer and into my own apartment near Central Park, and unfortunately I lost contact with her. Harvey did too, although he tried to get her some help, but she wouldn't listen. The last I ever heard of her was that she had dropped out of NYU—"

"Through Collins?"

"Yeah. She had dropped out of NYU and was now with Roger. One day, Harvey didn't show up to rehearsal, so afterwards Natalie and I went back to their place and we found out that Harvey's mother had called and told him that April had killed herself. We didn't find out about the heroin until they did the autopsy and found some left over in her system. What a waste," she said, closing her eyes. "I think about her every once in awhile and wonder that maybe if I hadn't moved out, I could have saved her."

Mark shook his head and kissed her nose. "You couldn't have. She had to make the decision to save herself, and April couldn't do it."

"I'm glad Roger did."

"So am I."

"So…" Mark said a few minutes later, adjusting the blanket over them.

"I know you want to know about Josh, but I don't think I'm ready to tell you yet. I know I need to talk to someone about it, but I'm not ready."

"I respect that. Can I ask you something?"

"If you want."

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to—or answer me, but when you were sleeping, you kept mentioning something about a baby and Josh…"

"Oh." Jackie was silent. She knew she would have to tell him eventually, but she hadn't expected him to ask so soon—or pick up on it. "I found out I was pregnant in August before my junior year. Josh got particularly angry one night and threw me down a flight of stairs, and I lost the baby," she finished, resting her head on Mark's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," he said, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that with him. God, what a bastard—"

"Don't Mark, it won't fix or help anything. Just promise me you won't turn out like him?"

Mark nodded. "I promise."

"Okay."

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Uh huh."

"I know you said that you needed someone to talk to, and I don't know if you've ever head of it, but there's this group called Life Support a few blocks over. Collins and An—Collins used to go frequently back in the day. Mimi used to go a few times too. Even Roger went—against his will—once or twice," Mark added, smiling. "They have meetings a few times a week, as well as individual therapy sessions, and you can go as much or as little as you want. There's no pressure or anything. They really know what they're talking about."

"I think I've heard of it. I never knew what it was though. I'd like to find out about it," she said, yawning.

"Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, I thought you might be against the idea of going."

"I'm not a stubborn ass like Roger," she giggled.

"That's true. You're an adorable stubborn ass," Mark added, laughing.

"Hey!"

"I was only kidding. But seriously, I'll find out for you from Collins."

"Thank you," she said, kissing him lightly. 

Mark shifted over slightly, draping his arm over her stomach. The smell of something spicy was wafting underneath his door, and he smiled as he kissed Jackie's forehead. "I think Mimi's cooking again."

Jackie nodded and rested her head against his chest. "I'm kind of hungry. What time is it?"

"12:01 AM," he said, reading the digital clock. "You know what I just realized?"

"Hmm?"

"Wait a second. Close your eyes." He climbed off the bed as Jackie obeyed, closing her eyes. He placed something near her feet, before climbing back on the bed, sitting behind her. "Now open them."

"Okay." Jackie did so, and found a videotape with a single rose attached to it, along with a white card. "Mark…"

"I guess it's my way of saying happy two months?" he said, watching her as she read the card.

_"Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, _

_Take him and cut him out in little stars, _

_And he will make the face of heaven so fine_

_ That all the world will be in love with night_

_ And pay no worship to the garish sun."_

"It's beautiful. Romeo and Juliet. It's appropriate."

"So I figured."

 Thank you," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "Has it really been two months? It's felt like so much longer."

"Yeah, it has. But it's been worth it—every single second. I wouldn't trade it, even the hard times,  
 he said. "You have to watch the tape."

"Okay," she laughed. "I feel like I've known you forever. Sorry if that sounds completely cheesy."

"Maybe a little," he said, as she threw a pillow at him. 

"What are we doing up so late?" she yawned.

"No, the question is, what's Mimi doing up so late?" he added. Jackie stood up and walked into the living room, Mark following.

"Hey guys!" she greeted cheerfully. "Hungry?"

Mark glanced at her. "Uh…sure Meems. What are you making?"

"Tacos. I'm starving," she said, sliding a plate of tacos down the counter. Mark intercepted them, and passed them to Jackie before taking one himself.

"Roger asleep?" Jackie said through a mouthful of taco. 

Mimi nodded and poured herself a glass of soda. "Yeah. He fell asleep around 10. He has that meeting with the record label tomorrow--today at 9 with the band. I think I wore him out by yelling at him so much today," she said, shrugging. 

Mark laughed, just as Roger came shuffling out of his bedroom.

"Hey," he greeted groggily. "Where's the siesta?"

"In my pants," Mark said, as Jackie laughed. Roger made a face and smiled.

"Yeah, you wish."

"Want a taco?" Mimi asked.

  
He nodded and yawned, taking a seat at the island on the barstool. "Couldn't sleep."

"You'll be fine tomorrow. They wouldn't have offered you a meeting if they didn't like what they saw," she reminded him. He shrugged and started drinking out of her soda glass.

"Yeah but—"

"No buts. C'mon, I'm going to bed," Mimi yawned, placing the glass and her plate in the sink. "Coming?"

"I'm eating."

"Bring it with you."

"Okay?" He stood up and followed her into the bedroom, carrying his plate and soda with him. "Night Jac. Night Mark."

"Night guys," Mark added as Jackie smiled. "So what do you say, bed?"

"I think so. I'm tired."

"I could make you more tired…"

"I'm sure you could. Just wait until Wednesday when you get your stitches out. It's Monday. Hold it in," she said.

"Hold it in?"

"Yeah."

"Gee thanks."

"You're welcome, and I love you," she said, laughing and climbing into his bed.

"Love you too," he said, shutting the lights off before climbing into bed himself.

_______________________________________________________________________

Jackie woke up the next morning to hear various sounds of banging and talking erupting from the living room. Mark was still asleep, so she slipped on her robe and opened the door to find Dan and Mimi chatting as a group of men she had never seen before dragged in sections of new carpeting.

"What's going on?" she asked, coming up behind them.

"Hi sweetie," Dan greeted, kissing her on the cheek. "We've just started phase one of redecorating. Carpeting!" he groaned, rolling his eyes as Mimi laughed.

"I didn't know that was happening today," she added, getting herself a cup of coffee as Mimi followed behind her.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention that I moved the date up to today instead of Thursday because it was conflicting with the air conditioning and heating guy. I just want to get everything over and done with as soon as possible so I don't have to deal with this shit when I'm eight months pregnant," she replied, grabbing the bread out of the cabinet and popping it into the toaster. 

"I agree with that. Roger left?"

"Yup. It's after 10, he said he'd be back by 12, but he'd call if he decide to go out with the guys."

"Where'd they put the couch?" Jackie asked, looking around the barren room. Everything had either disappeared or been moved, leaving a huge open space, where sections of carpet were being measured and lain down. 

"Out in the hallway. Don't even ask me how they got it through the door. All I ask is that they put it back where they found it because the last time it had to be moved, Mark and Roger bitched about it for a whole week," she laughed, pouring herself a glass of water.

"Are they supposed to finish this all in one day?"

"Pretty much—at least the living room, that is. I told Dan to hold off on the bedrooms and the nursery until everyone figures out what they want and I find out the sex of the baby. Tomorrow, I'm so excited."

Jackie smiled. Mimi was practically glowing when she brought up the baby. "I can't wait either."

"Oh! Before I forget, Roger's brother Jimmy is coming up here Wednesday to figure out what to do about the wall separating the apartment next door. He called him this morning before he left. Apparently what he said he can do is knock the wall out enough to put double doors—kind of like French patio doors in its place, so it connects both apartments but gives each of us enough privacy—not that privacy's a problem or anything," she added, rambling on. "And Maureen's flying in tonight from LA because she insists on being here when I get back from my doctor's appointment with Roger."

"That's fine. So let me get this straight—tomorrow's the ultrasound, Wednesday Jimmy's coming up, and Thursday the heating and air conditioning guy is coming here. Anything else?"

"Oh fuck, I almost forgot. Collins birthday is Saturday, and we're throwing him a surprise party that night, but please don't slip anything to him. Hence the word surprise," she added, laughing.

"No problem."

"No no no! I said that goes over there! Jesus Christ!" Dan shouted, waving his hands at the workers. "No…OVER THERE!" he added, as the lamp crashed to the floor.

__________________________________________________________________________

**COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS OF BYW**: How was Roger's meeting? More confrontation between Harvey and Roger…Sydney, Mark, and surfing…and what you've all been waiting for…the wedding!


	30. 30

CHAPTER 30

Just a heads up, we're now into the month of April for the last few scenes of this chapter. I've sped things up a little bit, partly because I don't want things to come to a standstill. 33 and kisses to all my reviewers. I wouldn't be able to still write if it wasn't for all of you. 

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Mimi turned off the vacuum and jogged over to the door, flinging it open. "Hey sweetie!"

"Hey!" Lisa answered, giving Mimi a hug. "Wow, you got big!"

"Oh thanks," Mimi laughed sarcastically as Lisa placed her hand on Mimi's stomach. 

"I meant it in a good way," she added, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "How far along are you now? I swear your stomach just popped out overnight."

Mimi tied her hair back under the bandanna she was wearing and grinned. "18 weeks tomorrow."

"Boy or girl?" Lisa added, taking off her jacket.

"Don't know yet. My ultrasound's tomorrow too."

"Ooh I'm so excited!"

"You're excited? Try me, I've been drinking so much water I'm surprised Benny hasn't been up here to bitch about the water bill yet," she laughed. "How's Noah?"

Lisa smiled. "He's really great. Matt and I have been holding him and rocking him to sleep. He can be fed by bottle now, and he weighs about four and a half pounds. He's off the respirator and is breathing on his own."

"That's so great. Did the doctor say when you can bring him home?"

"They said that once he hits the five and a half pound mark and if he's responding well to everything we can bring him home—which is part of the reason why I came here," she added. "Matt and I bought the place downstairs."

"Really? Which apartment?"

"1A," Lisa responded.

"That was my old place!" Mimi laughed. "How do you like it?"

"It's nice. The two bedrooms are great. Benny was showing us a place with just one bedroom, but we decided to go with the two because we need to convert the one into a nursery for Noah. It just needs to be repainted and furnished and everything."

"Yeah. The paint job kind of sucked."

"Speaking of furnishing, what in the hell are you doing up here?" Lisa asked, glancing around the room. 

"Remodeling. Dan and his company just finished laying the carpet about an hour ago," she said. "When are you and Matt moving in?"

"Next weekend. I already started packing my room up, along with the baby's crib and a ton of clothes."

"Sounds fun," Mimi said, taking a sip from her bottle of water.

"We won't be saying that when we're dragging boxes back and forth from Scarsdale. Hey, where's my brother at?" Lisa asked.

"Out packing up the rest of Jackie's apartment. She's closing on it Friday and finally moving in here," Mimi said. 

"I figured my mom would have called him and told him the news," she said, glancing at the answering machine.

"What news?" Mimi asked, popping a pretzel into her mouth.

"Cindy's pregnant again. She just found out last week, and she's due in mid November."

"Wow. Definitely the year of babies," Mimi laughed. 

"You're due in…?"

"September," Mimi answered. 

Lisa and Mimi chatted for a few more minutes, until she finally left, claiming that she'd call Mark later tonight. Twenty minutes later, she had finished vacuuming and Roger walked in, tossing his leather jacket on the couch. He ran over and kissed her, swinging her around.

"Whoa, never swing around a pregnant woman, especially after she just ate," she laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. "How was the meeting?"

"Good. Actually I have good news, and maybe a little bit of bad news, depending on how you want to take it," he added, stealing the pretzel bag from her.

"Hey, I was eating those," she pouted, chucking her water bottle at him. He caught it and started drinking out of it as she rolled her eyes. "But tell me."

"Sit down first."

"Why?"

"Just sit down," he grinned, handing the bag back to her. Mimi obeyed and tucked her feet underneath her. "We were signed," he blurted out. Mimi stood up and practically lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his waist again and kissing him.

"Oh baby, that's so great!" she said, smiling.

"Yeah, it is."

"So tell me about it."

"Yeah. Wes, Travis, Evan and I had to wait about an hour, and then we finally went into the meeting with the guy we met at the gig, Andre. He explained to us that what he's been hearing at the past few gigs was just what his boss was looking for and all this technical shit. So after half an hour of talking to him, his boss Troy finally walks in and talks to each of us individually about why we love music, what we want to accomplish and everything-- and basically after an hour or two he brought out the paperwork and we were signed to it."

"So Andre's your manager?" Mimi asked, resting her chin in her hand.

Roger nodded. "Yeah. Andre's our manager, but Troy has to give him the okay on everything, and that comes from the CEO of the label, Alex."

"So then what's the bad news?" she asked.

"Well, it's not really bad news, but this Friday—I have to leave for Los Angeles with the band to throw down some tracks in the company's recording studio and meet Alex. They just want to play around with what we've been writing and singing at our gigs and maybe send out a demo to some of the radio stations in the area—there and back here in the city--eventually. We gotta meet with the heads of the label and figure out where to go from there."

"Holy shit, you're kidding," she laughed. "That's great baby. I'm so proud of you."

"Yeah. But the downside is, I'm gonna be gone for two weeks."

Mimi's head shot up. "Two weeks?" she blurted out.

"I know," he said, sitting down next to her. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. It's okay," she said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, I'll have Mark and everyone here with me."

"If you're sure baby," he said, kissing her neck. "So how about we celebrate?"

"And take advantage of the empty loft, you mean?" she giggled.

"Exactly," he said, running into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses, scooped up Mimi, and kicked the door to his bedroom shut behind them.

___________________________________________________________________

"Daniel Leone, sit your ass down and stop pacing. I swear, you just put down a new carpet and there's going to be a huge gaping hole in the middle of it by tonight," Maureen teased, pulling him by the arm and getting him to sit down.

"Let's play a game," Collins chimed in. "Let's guess how much weight Mimi gained?"

Maureen glared at him. "Collins, come on. If you were pregnant, would you want someone talking about how much weight you gained?"

"What if I plan on adding to the baby pool?" he questioned, grabbing the glass bowl, which was already filled with various denominations of dollar bills. 

Maureen shrugged. "Fine."

"Mark start."

Mark looked at Jackie, who was sitting on his lap, and shrugged. "125."

"No way," Dan laughed. "115." They each threw in two twenty-dollar bills each.

"108," Maureen said. "She's tiny."

"112," Jackie added, tossing in a ten as Maureen threw in a ten and a five.

"120," Collins said proudly. "Now girl or boy?"

"Girl!" Maureen squealed, taking a sip of her beer. "Jac?"

"Boy. Mark?"

"Girl. Definitely. I can see it now. Dan?"

"Both."

"What the hell?" Collins laughed. "Twins? Mark, you better plan on moving out," he teased.

"Hey, I tell it like it is," Dan chuckled. "Alright alright. Girl. Collins?"

"Boy."

Just as Collins answered, the key turned in the lock and Roger and Mimi walked in, holding hands and wearing smiles on their faces.

"And?" Maureen said, practically jumping on Roger as he took of his coat.

"And what? No, you cannot have sex with me tonight," he joked, taking Mimi's coat for her.

"Tell us!" Jackie and Maureen chimed in together.

"Can we sit down first?" Roger laughed, grabbing Collins beer and taking a swig out of it. Mimi bit her lip and smiled, taking a seat in between Maureen and Mark.

"Psh, no," Dan laughed, popping the top off another beer. 

"You want to tell them baby?" Roger asked, taking a seat at her feet and glancing up at her.

She grinned and nodded. "Sure. We're having a girl."

Maureen jumped and pulled Jackie up with her and the two of them started doing something equivalent to a victory dance around the loft. Maureen then hugged Mimi as Dan kissed her on the cheek at the same time.

"Congratulations honey," he said.

"Oh I'm so happy for you!" Jackie added, hugging Mimi as well. 

Collins shook up the champagne bottle as Roger leaned over to kiss Mimi, sending the cork flying across the room and straight into the new lamp, knocking that one off the table as well.

"Didn't we just buy that?" Mark laughed, wrapping his arms around Jackie's waist.

______________________________________________________________________

"Toothbrushes?"

Mark held them up and nodded. "Check."

"Swimsuits?"

"Double check," he grinned, holding up her two bikinis. "And I have to say, I can't wait until I see you in them." He walked over and started kissing her on the neck, running his hands up and down her back.

She laughed and swatted him away playfully. "Passports?"

"Yep. Yours and mine right here."

"Tickets?"

"Round trip to Sydney, Australia."

"Good. Your stuff is packed, my stuff is packed, and we leave for the airport in an hour," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "God do I ever need this vacation."

Mark nodded and kissed her as she leaned back against the bed. She pulled him on top of her and he bathed her mouth in several kisses. "What do you think about getting this vacation off to an early start?" he asked, kissing her ear.

"It's a long flight. We could join the mile high club," she giggled, sliding out from underneath him and zipping their suitcases. "Shawn's meeting us at the airport and taking us to my dad's place. We'll probably stay with my dad and my stepmother for four days, but we most likely won't be sitting around on our asses all day because I'm giving you the tour."

"Oh you are, huh?" he asked, kissing her neck once again.

"Mark if you don't stop that we're never going to be able to leave, " she laughed. "Then we're heading to Melbourne to see my mom and then it's back to Sydney to stay with Shawn for a few days."

"Sounds good."

Mimi poked her head in and smiled. "Hey guys. When does your flight leave?"

"Around 5:30. We'll get to LA by 9, and then be on the next flight to Sydney by midnight," she answered.

"Okay. Roger just called, he said to bring him a surfboard back," she joked. "I think he was serious too."

Jackie laughed. "When's he coming home?"

"This Friday. Four days and counting," she smiled. 

"Hey Meems, you sure you're okay with staying here by yourself?" Mark questioned.

She nodded. "Yeah. Lisa and Matt are having dinner with me tonight, and then Lisa's gonna stay here with me. I'll probably end up sleeping at their place or at Collins and Dan's."

"Good, 'cause I feel weird with you being here all by yourself, since Roger won't be back from LA until Friday."

"Don't worry, I'm a big girl," she groaned, resting a hand on her stomach. "Literally. I can't wait to pop this kid out."

"Only 20 more weeks," Jackie reminded her. "Just think—when we come back, you'll be two weeks farther along."

"Mmm excitement for everyone. And you just think, when you both come back this place will be completely finished. Painted, the apartments connected, and if I'm lucky the nursery will be painted and carpeted too," she smiled.

"Good. I can't wait," Jackie added, hugging her. "I'm gonna miss you Meems."

"Group hug!" Mark laughed, hugging Mimi too.

"Bring me back something good."

"We will."

Just then, a horn sounded from outside, filtering in through the opened window. "Cab's here. Get going before you're late."

Mark picked up the suitcases and headed towards the door. Jackie linked her arm through Mimi's and gave her another hug. "We'll call when we get there. And you call too. You have my cell number, and it'll be on all the time."

"Thanks."

"Remember to lock the door. And don't let anyone in. And screen the calls," Mark added, slipping through the loft door and setting the suitcases in the hallway. The horn honked again. "Yeah! We're coming!" he shouted.

"Bye sweetie," Jackie said, smiling.

"Have fun Down Under!"

"I'm going to a land down under…Gotta love Men at Work," Mark sang, closing the door.

"Cohen, you're a dork."

"So what? I'm a lovable dork."

"True. We're going to a land down under…" Jackie laughed, pushing him towards the stairs.

_________________________________________________________________

"Jac?" Mark whispered, shaking her shoulder.

"Mmph?" she mumbled, curling up against the plane window. "What?" she added, opening an eye and looking at him.

"We're landing in about ten minutes," he said, leaning over her to stare out the window."

"Really?" 

"Yeah," he laughed, noticing how her eyes lit up right away when he said that. "This had to be the longest plane ride ever."

She nodded and yawned. "I know. It's crazy. 6 hours to LA, and another 16 to Sydney."

"But it's worth it," he pointed out.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because I'm with you," he added, kissing her.

"Good. I'm glad you came with me."

"So am I."

"You think we made use of the bathroom enough times? What was it, like 3?" she laughed, resting her head against his shoulder.

Mark blushed. "I think we should become mile high club VIPs." He looked out the window again as the plane inched closer to the ground, descending over Sydney.

"Excited?" she asked.

"Hell yeah. I want to see some kangaroos."

___________________________________________________________________


	31. 31

CHAPTER 31

I love my reviewers! You guys are awesome as always. 33

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"Can you grab those two bags for me on top?" Jackie asked. Mark maneuvered his way out into the aisle and slung the two carryon bags over his shoulder. "You okay?"

He looked at Jackie, pressing himself against the seats in order to let another couple pass by. She did look pale and just the way she was sitting in her seat didn't sit very well with him. Either she was sick, or she was nervous. How someone that could dance on a stage in front of thousands of people for a living could get nervous easily was beyond him, but this was her family—a family she hadn't had contact with since almost three years before. 

"Yeah. I'm okay, I just have a killer headache," she said, standing up slowly and breaking his train of thought. "Did we pack any Tylenol with us?"

Mark nodded and let her walk into the aisle. "It's in the suitcase though."

She shrugged and they exited the plane, heading down the corridor hall that connected to the gate. "Okay."

"Welcome to Sydney!" a flight attendant greeted them, and Mark politely nodded at her. Jackie slipped her arm through his and rested her head against his shoulder as they walked through the airport.

"Tired yet?" she yawned. "I am."

"So am I."

"The trick is not to sleep until it's the right time to. Like…it's 9 AM now. So technically we're not supposed to go to sleep until 9 or 10 PM."

"Screw that, I'm in favor for a nap," he laughed, kissing her quickly as he settled his arm around her hip.

"Mmm sounds good."

"So where are we supposed to meet Shawn?" he asked. They headed towards the baggage claim. Mark took a seat on the railing and pulled Jackie onto his lap. 

"Somewhere around here. He'll probably find us before we find him."

"JACKIE FERRELL!"

"WOO JACKIE'S IN THE HOUSE!"

Jackie and Mark looked over in the direction of the voices, both too exhausted to stand up again. Finally Jackie stood up and waved before running and jumping into the arms of a man Mark assumed to be Shawn. He was close to Roger's height and build and very tan. His bleach blonde hair was unruly under the black sunglasses that were resting on the top of his head.

"Hey!" Jackie greeted as Shawn swung her around before setting her back on her feet a few times.

"We're not late are we? I told Shawn to leave earlier, but there was so much bloody traffic on the expressway," a female added. 

"Nah, not at all. We just got off the plane," Jackie responded, giving the woman a hug. "Guys, this is my boyfriend Mark. Mark this is Shawn and his girlfriend Jillian." Jillian was close to Jackie's height, and her dark brown hair was highlighted with alternating colors of a natural red and blonde. She too was tan and had the same build that Shawn did in a feminine way.

"Hey," Shawn greeted, shaking Mark's hand. 

"Hey," Mark responded, shaking Shawn's hand and then Jillian's. "Nice to meet you." Jackie smiled and rested her head against Mark's shoulder again as his hand found her waist.

"Damn Jac, you sound so American now. We're going to have to beat the Australian into you again," Shawn joked.

"How was the flight?" Jillian asked, as Mark and Shawn collected the two suitcases from the revolving baggage claim.

"Long," Jackie answered. "Really long."

_________________________________________________________________

Twenty minutes later, they were speeding down the highway in Jillian's black Jetta, Shawn driving, Jillian in the passenger's seat and Mark and Jackie in the back. 

"So Jac, you wanna go surfing tomorrow morning with me and Jill?" he asked, turning off of the expressway and into the suburbs.

Jackie glanced at Mark and he shrugged. "Yeah sure. What time?"

"8 okay?"

"Sure. I'll be there."

"What about you Mark?" Jillian asked, turning around and glancing at both of them. "You game for surfing?"

Mark laughed. "I can't say I've ever tried before."

Shawn grinned. "Hey, that's okay, we're good teachers. Where'd you grow up?"

"Scarsdale New York. Upstate."

"Never been there. Is it nice?"

Jackie smiled and squeezed Mark's hand. "It's really nice. Especially in the winter."

"So am I taking you to your dad's or to your mom's?" Shawn asked, pointing to the signs that read either downtown Sydney or Melbourne.

"Dad's. I'm staying with him and Karen for a few days," she added, as Shawn turned onto the ramp.

"Nice," Jillian added. 

Fifteen minutes later, Shawn had pulled into the concrete driveway of a large, looming two-story house, which was easily the size of Mark's and Roger's house put together. As he and Shawn unloaded the luggage, he caught a peak of the back of the house and saw that it extended out even farther, and that there was even private beach access at the very bottom. The waves were crashing heavily on the sand, and Mark realized for the first time in over three years how good it felt to be away from everyone and enjoying a vacation that didn't consist of the Jersey shore and partying constantly.

"So we'll see you both later?" Jillian asked, giving Jackie a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah. You have my cell and my parent's line, so give me a call tomorrow or something," she answered, tucking her hand away in Mark's.

"Bye Jac. Nice to meet you Mark," Shawn added, climbing into the car. He waved before speeding away and down the road.

Jackie and Mark hauled the suitcases up the walkway, resting them on the porch. A note was attached to the door and Jackie tore it off:

_Jacqueline,_

_Welcome home honey. I'll be at the office until 6 tonight. I have a few meetings scattered here and there throughout the day, but I'll try to be home as soon as I can. Karen is in court until 3, so expect her home around 4. Kate has morning classes at the university today, but afterwards she's going out with a few of her friends and she won't be back until dinnertime. You and Mark are more than welcome to make yourselves at home. You know where the key is. _

_Love,_

_Dad_

"Home alone?" Mark grinned, as Jackie pulled the key out from underneath the flowerpot. She stuck it in the lock and pushed the front door open and Mark's jaw dropped.

"Close your mouth, Cohen," Jackie teased, setting the suitcases inside. "I know it's a lot."

"A lot? It's gorgeous," he added. 

Jackie's home was huge, to say the least. The rooms were spaced out and airy, most with floor to ceiling windows. "Yeah. Down here is the living room, two bathrooms, the dining room and the kitchen. Then there's the bar in the back. Downstairs is the basement. Upstairs are the bedrooms and my dad and Karen's offices. The patio, hot tub, and grill are outside, and obviously the beach too."

"Wow."

"I never really liked it here."

Mark gaped at her. "Why not?"

"Because it's an unnecessary amount of space for three people. I like the loft so much better."

"Why?"

"Because there's you, obviously—"

Mark grinned. "I'm the bonus package, huh?"

"Yup." She kissed him, laughing. "But it's just that everyone is really tight knit. I mean there's you and Roger—the best friends. Then there's Mimi, and Maureen, Collins, Lisa, and Matt. It's like an extended family. My family was always never home, so my sister and I always had to entertain ourselves. Back in the city it's like nonstop entertainment because something's always going on."

"You got that right," he said, as they dragged the two suitcases up the stairs. 

_____________________________________________________________________

Jackie entered the kitchen, checking the digital display on the microwave. 2 PM. Mark was sound asleep upstairs, and had been ever since his head had hit the pillow four hours before. As she passed the windows leading towards the bathroom, she spotted a few beachgoers tanning and surfing in the late afternoon sun. 

She pulled the medicine cabinet in the bathroom opened and scanned the shelves for Tylenol, dumping two pills into her hand. Her headache had returned, worse than she had experienced on the plane. After downing them with a glass of water, she took a seat out on the porch, curling up in the chair. The next thing she new, she felt Mark's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he greeted, kissing her briefly. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. Did you?"

"Sure did. It's really beautiful here. I kind of wish I brought my camera with me," he laughed. 

"You mean you didn't bring it? For once?"

"Nope. Definitely left it at home on purpose."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to spend the time with you and not my camera," he mocked her.

"Oh, very funny."

"Can I take a shower or something? I don't know which bathroom to use."

Jackie stood up and stretched. "No Mark, I forbid you to take a shower you loser."

Mark laughed and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. "Okay. Then I'll just have to smell for two weeks."

"Ha ha. Then you'll find yourself on a place back to the States alone. Use the bathroom next to our room. Towels are on the middle shelf."

"Thanks," he said, disappearing inside. Jackie had just made her way into the kitchen again when she grabbed her head, a wave of nausea over coming her. Okay, so maybe she shouldn't have taken the Tylenol on an empty stomach. She barely made it into the bathroom before puking into the toilet, and once she started, it seemed her body didn't want to stop. After twenty minutes, the nausea had subsided enough to let her run some water from the sink and wash her face, as well as brush her teeth. 

"Good fucking god, like being on a plane for twenty odd hours isn't enough punishment," she complained aloud, flushing the toilet and drying her face on a towel.

"Talking to yourself?" Mark asked, drying his head with a towel. Jackie jumped and shrugged. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. Just had to take a few Tylenol for my headache, that's all," she lied, slipping past him and into the kitchen.

"If you're sure." He stared at her curiously.

"I am," she said in a final tone.

"Okay."

________________________________________________________________________

"Jacqueline! Are you home?"

Jackie lifted her head off of Mark's chest. They were laying together on the couch in the living room, watching MTV on satellite to pass the time.

"Your dad?" Mark questioned. Jackie nodded and stood up, walking into the hallway. Mark followed and found a man in his late forties loosening his tie. 

"Hi Daddy," Jackie said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi sweetheart. How was the flight in?"

"Long," Jackie laughed.

"I can imagine. And this must be Mark," he greeted, sticking his hand out.

"Nice to meet you finally sir," Mark replied, shaking his hand.

Jacob laughed. "There's no need to call me sir. It makes me feel old."

Just then, the front door opened and a petite girl with strawberry blonde hair slipped through.

"Jackie?" she squealed, running over to Jackie and giving her a hug. "When'd you get here?"

"About 10 AM this morning."

"Who's this?" the girl asked, smiling at Mark.

"My boyfriend Mark. Mark, this is my father Jacob, and my little sister Kate."

"Nice to meet you," Kate greeted, her arm linked through Jackie's. "Where's Karen Dad?"

"At her office. Actually girls, I just found out that I have to be in Perth on business for the next week, and Karen's coming with me. I won't be back until next Monday."

"Oh," Jackie said, catching Kate's glance in her own. Kate gave her the thumbs up and smiled.

"Karen will be coming with me, so unfortunately you won't see her until Monday Jac. Sorry, I know this is last minute," he said, grabbing some files off the dining room table. "I just came home because I wanted to see you and needed to get a few portfolios."

"Okay." Jackie rested her head against Mark's shoulder.

"Well, the company car's waiting outside to take me to the airport, so I'll see you girls Monday," he added, kissing both Jackie and Kate on the cheek. "Nice to meet you again Mark."

"You too," Mark answered, linking his hand through Jackie's.

"Good thing they're gone for the week," Kate chimed in, hopping up on the kitchen counter. "I don't think I could take much more of them being around."

"I agree with that," Mark said, pulling Jackie down on a chair with him. "I could never wait for my parents to leave. You're lucky—they're gone for a week."

Kate nodded. "So what do you do for a living Mark?"

Mark shrugged. "I'm a struggling filmmaker I guess, except now I work at the same production company Jac does."

"Cool."

"What about you?"

"I surf. A lot. Probably more than I actually work at my job," Kate laughed. "I'm going to university to eventually get my degree in early childhood education."

"Sounds fun."

"Mark doesn't know how to raise himself, let alone kids," Jackie teased.

"Hey shut up!"

"I'm kidding."

"Yeah sure."

"I do to know how to take care of kids. My sisters have kids."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Roger doesn't count."

________________________________________________________________________

Roger slipped into the loft quietly, taking off his jacket. He heard the AC running, which meant that sometime in the two weeks he was gone, Mimi had the new air and heating system installed. He didn't blame her for having it running already—it had just rained and it was humid out. He turned on the lights to find her propped up on the couch, fast asleep, the TV running in the background. Her glasses had slipped down her nose, and a few curls had fallen into her face. God, how he had missed her when he was in LA. Two weeks had definitely been too long of a time.

He brushed the curls off her face, planting a kiss on her forehead in the process. She stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey," she whispered groggily, sliding over to give him some room to sit down on the couch. "When'd you get in?"

"Midnight. It's a little after 2 right now."

"Take your pills?" she asked, sliding up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I did. I missed you."

She smiled and kissed him as he rubbed her back slowly. "I missed you too. How was it?"

"It was okay. I'll tell you about it tomorrow," he said, helping her stand up. "You look different."

She smirked at him, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Could it possibly be the fact that I've gained another five pounds since you left? Or could it be the fact that my huge stomach just popped out even more then I thought possible?"

Roger laughed and stripped off his shirt and pants as Mimi climbed into their bed, placing a pillow behind her head and another behind her back.

"Well whatever it is," he said, sliding in next to her and turning off the light. "You're still beautiful."

"Thank you baby," she said, resting her head on his chest as he placed his hands around her hips.

They had just about fallen asleep when Mimi shot up in bed, her hands on her stomach. Roger panicked and sat up right beside her, one hand behind her back. 

"What? What's wrong?" he said. 

Mimi laughed at the fearful expression on his face. "Nothing. The baby just kicked. Give me your hand." She took his hand and placed it on the side of her stomach. "Now wait."

Roger did so, and a few seconds later he felt a sharp jab where she had placed his hand. "Wow—that's just, wow, Mimi."

Mimi nodded. "She hasn't done that at all in the time you were gone. I think she was waiting for her Daddy to come home." She propped herself back against his chest, his hand still placed on her stomach.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I was thinking about some things before," she added, pushing the blankets off of her. "Sorry, I'm hot," she groaned.

He grinned. "Nah, it's okay. I understand. What were you thinking about?"

"The wedding, and baby names."

"Okay. Well what about the wedding?"

"I don't want a big wedding anymore. I don't care what kind of wedding I have, as long as I'm married to you by the time it's over."

"Neither do I baby," he answered, pulling her closer to him. "What about our families?"

"I don't know. I don't want anything big. I was kind of thinking that it would feel right just to have the people that have been there for us throughout the years—Mark, Maureen, Collins, Dan, Joanne, Jackie, Lisa, -- even Matt. But on the other hand, it would feel wrong not to have our families there."

"I know what you mean."

"So…"

"Whatever makes you happy Meems."

By this time, she had started to cry. "I just want to be married to you Roger and I don't want to have to go crazy over figuring out who I want and don't want here," she blubbered, burying her face in his chest. "This is so incredibly stressful."

Roger laughed and hugged her tight. "Shh, it's okay baby. What if we just have your mom and Carl, and my mom, Lindsey, and Marissa there? Is that okay?"

Mimi nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yeah. I guess that's okay. I just don't want to disappoint you."

Roger shook his head. "You could never do that. Now what were you saying about baby names?"

"Oh. Well I'm really attached to Jaylynn. I think it's beautiful."

"So do I," Roger answered, kissing her on the shoulder.

"So what about Jaylynn Angela? For Angel? Jaylynn Angela Davis," she announced. She sat up briefly to adjust the pillow behind her back.

Roger nodded. "I like that."

"Good. Because if you said you didn't, our daughter would still be named that whether you liked it or not," she laughed.

"Good night Mimi," he said, pulling the blanket back over her.

"Night. Jesus Roger, I said I was hot!" she grumped, pulling the sheets back down.

"It's cold in here. You have the AC on 50 fucking degrees."

"You're cold, I'm pregnant. Now leave the fucking sheets off of me."

"Oooh testy."

"Ass."

"I love you."

"Uh huh."

"Mimi?" 

"What? I love you too."

"Good."

"Now shut the hell up and go to sleep."

"Night baby."

"I said shut up Roger!"

_________________________________________________________________________

"Hey Jac? Are you almost done in there? Shawn wants us to meet him out on the beach in twenty minutes," Mark said, resting his head against the closed bathroom door.

Jac smiled a little as she splashed her face with water. Ever since Shawn and Jillian had taught Mark the basic fundamentals of surfing, he'd been psyched to go back. If she weren't feeling so crummy right now, she'd be more enthusiastic about spending a good five hours on a surfboard. The only thing she was focused on right now was getting her stomach to stop doing back flips. 

"Yeah, I'll be right out," she said, turning off the faucets. "What's the date today Mark?"

"Uh, the 15th. Why?"

"I always lose track of what day it is when I'm on vacation so I just wanted to know," she said, making up a quick lie. 

"Oh. Yeah, so do I." 

Jackie opened the bathroom door, adjusting the straps on her bikini top. "Okay, so let's go then," she said, plastering a smile on her face.

As the walked down the dunes, Jackie spotted Jillian, Kate and Shawn, each sitting on their own surfboard. 

"Hey," Jackie greeted.

Shawn stood up and stretched. "Hey Jac, Mark. You guys ready? The waves look pretty rough today."

Jackie nodded, giving Mark a quick kiss. "Why don't you guys go ahead and paddle out. I have to talk to Jillian and my sister for a minute."

"You sure?" Mark asked, already halfway to the water.

"Go ahead. We'll be there in a little bit."

"So what's up?" Jillian asked as they headed back up to the house.

Jackie laughed and sighed. "I've been throwing up for the eight days we've been here so far."

Kate held the glass door open for them, each girl wandering into the living room and taking a seat on the couch. "Whoa Jac, that's unnatural. Are you sure it's not a really crappy case of the flu?"

Jillian looked at her. "For eight days Kate? Come on. When Jac?"

Jackie groaned and rested her head against the coffee table. "In the mornings. Sometimes at night. Why do you think I ran in the house so fast that one day when we were surfing?"

Kate's face fell. "Oh yeah. Right. You were gone for about half an hour."

"Exactly."

Jillian bit her lip. "So are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

"Oh my god," Kate said. 

"Congratulations, you've all just won yourself a memorable trip down pregnancy lane," Jackie said sarcastically, holding her head.

"How late are you?" Kate asked.

"Ten days, and I'm always pretty regular."

"You have to find out," Jillian added, pulling Jackie to her feet. "We're going to the pharmacy right now."

"What are we supposed to tell the guys?" 

"Kate, go swim out and tell them that we're running out to get some food for lunch. Bull shit your way through it if you have to, and if they offer to come with us tell them flat out no," Jillian said, grabbing her keys off of the counter.

"Just don't mention any of this to Mark. Please don't," Jackie warned her.

"I won't, I swear." Kate took off the back down, running down the sand dunes.

______________________________________________________________________

"How many more minutes?" Jackie asked, pulling herself onto the kitchen counter.

Jillian looked at her watch. "Two more."

"Why does this seem like the longest seven minutes of my life?"

"Because it's a life altering decision, basically. Kind of like walking the green mile," Kate chimed in.

Jackie and Jillian shot her a look. "Gee thanks," Jackie added sarcastically.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it was a bad thing—having a baby, you know?"

"But you don't understand—ah forget it."

"No, tell us," Jillian said.

Jackie sighed. "It's just that my show's opening two weeks from now and I've finally gotten what I've wanted so long—the lead in a major ballet production. I can't dance when I'm pregnant—I probably won't be able to dance until I get my body back after I have the baby, and that could be up to a year, if not longer. What's left for me then? I just got my life back on track with everything."

The timer on Jillian's watch went off just as Jackie finished speaking. She smiled sympathetically as she looked towards the bathroom.

"Do you want to look at the sticks, or should I?" she asked. Jackie slid off on the counter and headed towards the bathroom. 

"I'll do it. Just give me a minute, okay?" she said, closing the door behind her.

Jackie made her way over to the sink and glanced at the three sticks. A plus sign. Two lines. Two dots.

"Fucking shit," she said, laughing and crying at the same time. 

She opened the door and walked back down the hall, bringing the tests with her. 

"What does it say?" Kate asked, glancing at the sticks Jackie had just handed Jillian.

"It says I'm pregnant. Three times over." Jackie resumed her seat on the counter.

"Oh."

Jillian handed the sticks back to Jackie. "So is this a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"I don't know."

"Well I'm saying congratulations anyway…so congratulations!" Jillian said, giving Jackie a hug. 

"I've gotta make a phone call. Trash the sticks, okay Jill?"

"Yep. Sure thing. We'll meet you back outside. And we won't tell him."

Jackie waved them away with her hand and ran back upstairs, pulling her cell phone out of her bag, and collapsing on her bed. She dialed the loft number and waited as it rang.

Mimi picked up the phone right away. "Hello?"

"Hey Meems, it's uh, Jac."

"Hey Jac, how's Sydney?"

"Oh, it's great. I didn't wake you up, did I? 

"Nah, I couldn't sleep anyway. Jay's up in my ribs tonight."

Jackie cradled the phone against the pillow. "I just really need to spill this to someone, and I hate doing this over the phone, but considering I'm not gonna be home for another four days—"

"Just spill it, chica."

"Okay. Well, I just found out that I'm—pregnant?"

"What? You're what?"

"Pregnant."

________________________________________________________________________

"Who was on the phone?" Roger asked, yawning and coming out of his bedroom. "Come to bed."

Mimi stood up and walked over to him. "It was Jackie."

"Why was she calling this late?"

Mimi sighed. "She's pregnant Rog."

Roger blinked at Mimi for a second before responding. "She's what?"

"Pregnant. With a baby."

"A mini Mark?"

Mimi nodded. "Yeah."

"Jesus. You both are pregnant. Together. You both are gonna have whacked out hormones. Together. I'm going to be a father and an uncle. Together."

Mimi grabbed his arm and laughed. "Stop that."

"Does Mark know?"

"Nope. Not yet. I don't think she's going to tell him until she gets back to the city."

"This is in-fucking-credible. First Lisa, then you, then his sister Cindy, and now Jackie. Screw the year of the rabbit, it's the year of the sperm."

"Okay, enough. Let's go to bed."

"She's really pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Roger!"

"Okay okay."

"Night."

"I can't believe she's pregnant."

"ROGER!"

"OW! Don't hit me with the pillow!"

_______________________________________________________________________


	32. 32

CHAPTER 32

Thanks to my reviewers. Whoa, I did get a lot on my last chapter. Thanks again, love you all! 33

_______________________________________________________________________

"Are you sure you're not hungry Jac?"

"No. I'm fine."

Mark shrugged and placed his key in the lock. "You barely ate anything on the plane."

"It was plane food."

"It was a 20 hour flight. It's a little after 8 PM now. I'll make you something if you want."

Jackie bit her lip as they finally entered the loft. "Fine. Maybe some soup."

Mark sighed and turned the lights on. "Holy shit, this place looks amazing." He dropped the suitcases roughly on the new carpeting. The walls were completely painted a light tan color to match the rug. The cracked industrial windows had been replaced and actual blinds and curtains were hanging from them. The heating and air conditioning vents had been installed as well as two ceiling fans. Even the couch and coffee table had been replaced in the living room, along with a new TV, VCR, and stereo. 

Jackie walked over into the living room. "Mark look, I think they connected both apartments," she grinned, pulling open the two French doors. She squealed and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the new apartment. "Look at it."

The floor had been carpeted in the same matching rug on the other side—and the walls painted an off white. Posters of famous movies and independent films projects were framed on the walls, as well as posters of ballerinas and productions. They had their own separate kitchen and living room, as well as another two bedrooms and a bathroom.

"You guys like it?" 

Mark looked up to find Roger grinning from the door, Mimi's head resting against his chest. "When did you—how?" he laughed.

Mimi smiled. "Dan worked his ass off from the day you were gone until this morning when he finished hanging up the posters. It was insane. He really loves his job, and all of us."

"This is just—really great," Jackie said, speechless.

Roger cleared his throat. "Yeah yeah. Now where's my surfboard?"

Jackie grinned at Mark. "My friends are shipping it up here with them."

"Your friends?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah. Jackie's friend Shawn and his girlfriend Jillian are coming to stay with us for a week or so to catch the opening of Jackie's show, and since Shawn is a surfer, he said he'd get a good one and if they weather's decent he'll take all of us to the Jersey shore to try to get some good waves."

Mimi laughed. "So you're telling me that two of your Australian friends are bringing themselves and their surfboards to the city?"

Jackie shrugged. "Why the hell not?"

"A little too Crocodile Dundee for me, but okay. When are they getting here? And how was Sydney?"

Mimi grinned. "Don't let your brain overload baby."

"Sydney was beautiful. We have about three rolls of film to develop," Mark said, pointing to the other room where the suitcases were set.

"And Jillian and Shawn are flying in the 27th, this Sunday. The show starts the 30th." Jackie stood up slowly. "I'll uh, be back in a few," she added, taking off for the bathroom.

Mimi shot Roger an apprehensive stare, and then they both looked at Mark. 

"What?" he said.

"Nothing," Roger grinned. "Oh yeah, your mom called. She wants you and Jackie up in Scarsdale on Tuesday for Passover."

Mark groaned. "Yeah, I guess I better call her back." He left the room and Jackie reappeared, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail. Roger practically pounced on her.

"So? Did you tell him?"

"Roger!" Mimi scolded. "What are you, three?"

Roger shrugged. "I just want to know, as I'm sure Mark does."

"No, I didn't tell him."

"You are telling him, right?" Mimi asked.

Jackie bit her lip. "Yeah, eventually. But not right now."

"Jackie," Roger groaned. "Tell him already."

"Shut up Roger," she teased, crossing to the other side of the apartment.

_____________________________________________________________________________

 Later that night, Maureen, Mimi, and Jackie were settled on the floor. Mimi's wedding dress was draped over the couch, and her shoes were sitting in the original box.

"Jac you don't look that good. You didn't catch anything in Sydney did you?" Maureen asked. She raised her eyes from the checklist and stared at her.

Jackie shrugged, taking another small bite of the saltine crackers she was attempting to eat. "I'm fine. My stomach's just a little upset. Probably a mild case of the stomach flu."

When Maureen didn't look too convinced, Mimi took over. "Yeah Mo, you know what plane food does to your stomach."

Maureen nodded. "Do I ever. I spend more time back and forth on a plane that the least they can do is cater some McDonald's for me," she laughed.

Mimi and Jackie shared an uncomfortable glance at each other. "So did you call the florist?"

Maureen beamed. "Florist, caterer, hotel, limousine, everything. Everything's set for the 18th." She pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket. "Ta da!"

Mimi took it from her and read it. "Wildwood?"

Maureen nodded and pointed to the other side. "You, me, and Jackie are getting away the weekend before the wedding—May 9th to the 11th, and we're going to Wildwood in Jersey. But the catch is—no one can tell the guys where we're going because knowing them, they'll show up. Nosy bunch of bastards."

Jackie stifled a laugh. "You are so weird Maureen."

"I know."

Jackie sat up suddenly and bolted for the bathroom just as Maureen heard the key turn in the lock. "Jac? Oh fuck, the dress! Roger can't see the dress Meems!" Maureen lunged for the dress and grabbed Mimi. She ran to Mark's side of the apartment and slammed the doors behind them. 

Roger walked in with Mark, carrying a six-pack of beer and a bag of sandwiches from the deli. "What was that slam?"

Mark shrugged. "No idea. Weren't the girls just here?" He wandered over to the couch and picked up Mimi's wedding shoes and grinned. "That would be a yes."

Roger shrugged and took a beer out of the case and passed one to Mark. "I'm watching the game. You?"

"Whatever." They both plopped down on the brand new couch and started watching the Yankees on the TV.

______________________________________________________________

"Maureen I'm thirsty," Mimi whined as Maureen zipped up the back of the wedding dress. "And when did my boobs get so huge?"

"Hold still," Maureen instructed, taking the bobby pin out of her mouth and adjusting the veil in Mimi's hair. "Go look."

Mimi gathered up the train of the dress and walked over to the mirror and twirled around. "Nice fit. Let's just hope my stomach holds off on protruding for another two weeks." She turned back to Maureen and pulled the veil over her face. "Now can I get something to drink?"

"Roger can't see you in that! Plus I have to pin up the bottom of the underskirt because it's dragging way too much."

"Arg. Then let me sneak out into the kitchen. Just um, block me or something?" Mimi said. 

"Hmm. Okay." Maureen creaked the door open and peered out. "They're sitting on the couch watching TV. Just hitch up the train and we'll make a run for it."

Mimi nodded. "Ready? One…two…"

"THREE!" Maureen said loudly, grabbing Mimi's arm and walking slowly into the kitchen. "Hi boys."

Both grunted a hello in response, not tearing their eyes off the screen. Mimi reached up into the cabinets as Maureen stood in front of her, whistling and staring at the ceiling.

"What's that?" Roger asked, pointing to the white skirt.

"Nothing," Maureen said. Mimi grabbed Maureen by the shoulders as Maureen sidestepped towards the door.

"Is that Mimi behind you?" he asked, trying to peek around.

"Don't do that fucktard! You can't see her in the dress!"

Roger pretended to pout. "Fine."

"I still love you baby," Mimi said. She didn't hear his response as Maureen ushered her back in the doors. "That was close."

"Completely your idea," Maureen reminded her, helping her unzip the dress. 

_____________________________________________________________________

Jackie slipped out of bed quietly around five in the morning. Mark was still sleeping, and he looked so adorable. She loved watching him sleep. Before she could watch him any longer, she felt her stomach lurch again and found herself in the bathroom. This time, she ran the sink water to hopefully drown out some of the sound.

She never remembered it being this bad last time.

She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them, taking slow shaky breaths to calm herself down. She knew that she had to tell Mark sooner or later, and definitely knew that he was on to something by now. Mark wasn't the type of person to let something of this magnitude fly right over his head. He cared about people too much. 

It wasn't like she didn't care about him; it's just that she didn't know what she was supposed to be feeling for Mark. Sure, they occasionally used the word love, but what kind of love were they both referring too?

She was tired of pretending, and most of all tired of covering up things that happened in the past. But what scared her the most was the possibility of motherhood all over again, especially with a guy that was head over heels for her. Mark was a saint compared to Josh—god, they shouldn't even be in the same sentence. Things had been so rough between them, and now Josh was in jail, but Mark had suffered the consequences. Would he really want to have a child with her? They had only been dating for three months. 

She kept reminding herself that Mark would never hit her, and Mark would never do anything to endanger her or the baby, but she found it increasingly hard to trust someone after her past experiences, and as much as she tried, she couldn't let go.

She was so hungry, but she knew that whatever she ate would come straight back up in a matter of half an hour. She carefully brought herself to her feet, washed her face, and started brushing her teeth before setting herself back down on the tile floor. She could have fallen asleep right in that very spot, but Mark's voice interrupted her.

"Jackie? What's wrong?" 

Jackie looked up and studied him. He looked so concerned that she could even tell by his eyes and facial expressions. "Nothing Mark." So much for telling him the truth.

"That's shit Jackie. You're sick. Now tell me what's wrong."

"I can't."

Mark stared at her. "Why not?"

"Because."

Mark sighed. "Hey, as long as you're not pregnant we'll be fine," he joked, smiling at her. "I don't think I could handle a kid right now."

Jackie took a deep breath and practically forced herself to ignore the comment he had just made. She splashed a little more water on her face. "Yeah. Neither could I." She focused on the ceiling in order to keep her eyes from tearing up. "Do you want me to make you something to eat?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, I have to get to work in a little bit. First day back and all." He kissed her on the cheek before leaving the bathroom.

Dejected, Jackie followed after him.

________________________________________________________________

It was close to 8:30 before Mark had finally left. Jackie curled up on their couch with a phonebook, glass of water, and a pencil. She quickly turned to the yellow pages and scanned the list of woman's clinics. Twenty minutes later she had narrowed her list down to two potential obstetricians. 

She picked the cordless phone up and dialed the number of her first choice, waiting for someone to pick up.

"Good morning, Dr. Chesek's Office of Obstetrics and Gynecology, how may I help you?"

Jackie hesitated before responding. "Hi, I was wondering if there was any possibility I could set up an appointment for today? I'm pretty sure I might be pregnant, and I was wondering if you had anything available?"

"Sure. Hold on one moment." Jackie heard the receptionist typing away on her computer. "I have an opening this morning at 11, if I could have your name and telephone number I could reserve it for you?"

"That's perfect. Jacqueline Ferrell."

"And how do you sell your last name?"

"F-E-R-R-E-L-L."

"Alright. We'll see you at 11 then. Just make sure to have all of your insurance information with you."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Jackie hung up the phone and grabbed her purse from the coffee table. She had just started to dig through it when Mimi opened the doors and came in with two cups of tea. 

"Hey," she greeted, placing one in front of Jackie before taking a seat on the couch. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I just made an appointment with a gynecology and obstetrics office uptown for 11. I want to confirm things, you know?"

Mimi nodded. "You should drink that. It'll really settle your stomach."

"Thanks Mimi." Jackie took a sip of it. "Mark found me in the bathroom again this morning."

"Did he suspect anything?"

Jackie shrugged. "He said that as long as I wasn't pregnant, we'd still be okay."

Mimi's eyes widened and she placed her cup roughly back on the table. "That little fucker! He didn't!"

"He did."

"Men are such assholes."

Jackie pulled out an envelope from her purse and placed it on her lap. In it contained her birth certificate, insurance card, American and Australian driver's licenses, and passport. "How did Roger react when he first found out?"

Mimi snorted and rolled her eyes. "Mr. Peppy over there wasn't so full of pep when we found out. He told me that we shouldn't have it, because we were both positive, but then I found this really great doctor who explained to me that if I took good care of myself and took my AZT, then the baby would have a small percentage of developing the disease later on in it's life."

"Yeah?"

"Mark didn't mean what he said sweetie. He was most likely trying to make you feel better, which is something that either works or backfires horribly. That's the good thing about Mark—he's always looking out for other people, and I can tell you right now, he's going to love this baby with all he has because that's just how he is. He's physically incapable of not being able to love people," she added.

"I know."

Mimi smiled sympathetically. "When he gets home from work you should sit him down and talk to him. I know he'd be understanding." She stood up again and wrapped her robe around her.

"I'm going to take a shower, but I'll let you know how the appointment goes," Jackie said. She gave Mimi a quick hug before walking towards the bathroom.

"And Jackie?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened with Josh wasn't your fault sweetie. Especially about the baby. I know for a fact Mark would never do anything like that to you."

"Thank you."

"Anytime, chica."

_______________________________________________________________________

By a quarter to ten, Jackie had paid the cab driver and was heading into the small building that housed the doctor's office.

She pulled the office door open and a little bell dinged inside. The receptionist smiled warmly at her. "Hello."

Jackie approached the desk. "Hi, my name is Jacqueline Ferrell and I have an appointment for 11."

The receptionist slid a clipboard towards her and handed her a pen. "Of course. Just fill out these forms and we'll make a copy of your insurance card and birth certificate. Dr. Chesek should be right with you."

Jackie took the clipboard and sat down in the nearly deserted waiting area. Another woman who appeared to be close to six months pregnant was flipping through a magazine. Apparently the place had just opened for the day. It took her all of ten minutes to fill out the forms and have the receptionist make photocopies.

She was halfway through a new issue of _Seventeen_ when a middle-aged nurse in scrubs appeared. "Jacqueline?"

Jackie stood up and dropped the magazine back on the table. "Hi."

The nurse smiled and led Jackie down a hallway and into an exam room. She handed Jackie a gown to change into and placed her chart on the counter. "Dr. Chesek will be right with you."

"Thanks." Jackie quickly changed into the gown, but kept her sweatshirt jacket on over it. She took a seat on the exam table and within fifteen minutes, a woman in her early thirties appeared, her auburn hair pulled up into a ponytail with a pen stuck through it. "Jacqueline Ferrell?" The woman stuck out her hand and Jackie shook it. "I'm Dr. Emily Chesek, it's nice to meet you." She picked up Jackie's chart and read through it briefly. "So I understand you believe there's a good chance you might be pregnant?"

Jackie nodded. "I took three pregnancy tests when I was home in Sydney, and all three were positive."

"Sydney? Australia?"

"Yeah."

"I was born in Melbourne and moved here to go through med school. I love it there and go back just about every chance I get," she laughed. 

Dr. Chesek quickly measured, weighed, and took Jackie's blood pressure. "I know everyone hates these, but I have to ask a few standard questions and take a medical history. How long have you and your boyfriend been together?"

"Mark and I have been together for almost 3 months."

"How long have you both been sexually active?"

"Um, I guess for almost 2 months?"

Dr. Chesek jotted a few things down on the chart. "Is this your first pregnancy?"

Jackie shook head. "No. It's my second. I miscarried the first one."

"All right. And how far along were you when you miscarried?"

"13 weeks."

"With the same partner?"

"No, an ex boyfriend."

"Okay. I'm going to do a full exam and send off on a few labs and blood tests. It's pretty slow around here today, so you won't have to wait too long to confirm anything."

Dr. Chesek finished with her exam, and 30 minutes after the nurse came to take Jackie's blood, she was back in the exam room with the results.

"Okay Miss Jackie from Sydney, sorry I had to keep you waiting."

"No problem," Jackie answered, staring at the lab sheet in the doctor's hand.

"From the hormone levels in your blood, along with the exam I just did, you're about 8 and a half weeks pregnant. I estimated conception taking place around the 14th of March. Any bells and whistles going off?"

Jackie tried to fight back a laugh. "Yeah, pretty much."

"It was just that night, you know?" Dr. Chesek teased, laughing. "You're due around December 15th."

"Early Christmas present."

"Good timing. Everything else came back in the clear, although I am a little worried about your weight. You're 93 pounds at 5'5, which is below the standard average. I know you're a dancer and your diet is restricted, but it's very important that you keep up with a regular diet throughout your pregnancy. Since you're technically underweight, I'd be pretty happy to see you gain at least 30 pounds with the baby."

"Okay. I can't continue dancing can I? I have a show that opens next week."

"Well, since you've had a miscarriage, I'd recommend that you cease your dancing altogether throughout your pregnancy, at least for the first three months. Unfortunately you probably won't be able to perform either, but if you take the time to exercise for 30 minutes a few days a weeks you'll feel a lot better during your pregnancy. No fancy jumps and twirls either."

"So that means no show?"

Dr. Chesek shook her head. "No show. As for sexual activity, you might want to hold off for the first three months too, just as a precaution."

Jackie nodded. "Sure."

'"Here's your prescription for prenatal vitamins. Let me know if they make you anymore nauseous, okay? And I'll see you next month." She handed the prescription to Jackie. 

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. Set up an appointment with Sophie up front and I'm always on call, so if you ever need anything, don't hesitate. Take care."

"You too."

___________________________________________________________________

Mimi was pulling clothes and towels out of the dryer just as Jackie walked back into the loft. "Hey, you're back finally. How was it?"

Jackie shrugged and took of her jacket. "It was okay. I'm pregnant. 8 ½ weeks." She walked over to Mimi and Roger's kitchen and took the saltines out. "Now I'm just trying to keep anything down."

Mimi grinned as started the washer, tossing a bunch of Roger's clothes into it. "I remember that _way_ too well."

Jackie looked up at her. "What are you doing?"

"I cleaned out Roger's side of the closet. I don't want to know how many dirty boxers and shirts were laying in there."

"Ew." Jackie scrunched up her nose and poured herself a glass of ginger ale. 

"Like you haven't had to deal with Mark's dirty boxers," she laughed. She added detergent and slammed the lid.

"I wear most of Mark's boxers," she reminded her.

"I used to wear Roger's boxers. Until they got too small. I love how I can't wear my own boyfriend's—"

"Fiancé's," Jackie corrected.

"Fiancé's boxers because my belly's too big," she groaned. "Makes you feel special."

"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better I'll be right up there with you in a few months."

"Oh yeah," Mimi said, stealing the cracker box from Jackie. "When are you due?"

"December 15th."

"No fucking way. That's one hell of a Christmas present. Jaylynn will be about um, 3 months old by then," she grinned. "So when are you telling Mark?"

"Eventually. That reminds me, I have to call Shawn and Jillian and tell them about the show. My doctor says I can't dance."

Mimi sighed. "I'm sorry honey."

"Yeah, so am I, but my health's more important. Can't have sex either until the second trimester."

"That _really_ sucks," Mimi laughed. "But I didn't need to know that."

"We can still hear you guys even though we're on the other side of the apartment," Jackie added, sipping the ginger ale. "I think your next job is soundproofing."

"Shut up," Mimi laughed, throwing a cracker at her. "You just wait."

_____________________________________________________________________

IN THE NEXT THREE CHAPTERS OF BYW: The bachelor party, the wedding, the honeymoon, and Jackie tells Mark about the baby.


	33. 33

CHAPTER 33

I 3 review and I 3 my reviewers!

LOL elodie, you're too funny: "I want to see Adam Pascal's butt." I'd like to see his too, as well as Cary's..

"Oh my god."

Jackie looked up from the barstool, where she was propped up and had her chin resting on her knees. "What's wrong?" She took a sip of ginger ale and set the glass back down on the table.

Mimi stood up and started rubbing her back. "My. back. hurts. so. fucking. bad." She groaned and attempted to stretch out. "It's like someone is stabbing it. Jesus Christ kid," she added, rubbing her hand on her stomach. "And you—" she said, pointing at Jackie. "You just wait."

Jackie shrugged and took another sip of her drink. "I didn't say a word."

"I'm taking a bath in the new and improved, fully functional we-actually-have-lots-of-hot-water-now tub. If Roger comes home, tell him I hope he inseminates himself next time," she grumbled. She grabbed a towel and slammed the door behind her.

Jackie grabbed another cracker out of the box and forced herself to eat it. She had lost three pounds since her visit to the doctor and felt like complete shit. That was an understatement. She felt _worse_ than shit. Like shit's second cousin.

She stood up to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge when she heard the loft door open. "Hey," Mark greeted, dropping his keys and a folder on the counter before wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hi," she answered. "How was work?"

"Work was work. You weren't there, so I had no one to bother all day," he grinned, kissing her before opening the fridge again. "Want something to eat?" 

She shook her head. "Nah. I'm fine."

He eyed the box of crackers on the counter and looked at her. "You did actually eat more than a roll of crackers today, right?"

"I told you I don't feel good."

"You've been eating nothing but crackers, soup, and water for at least two weeks," he protested. "At least let me make you something?"

"What's the point of making it if I can't eat it?" she asked sharply, grabbing the box of crackers and putting them back in the cabinet.

"Just come on Jac, eat something," Mark begged her. "You've lost weight already."

"I'm going to lay down." She walked away and into the other side of the loft. She climbed onto their bed and brought her knees up towards her chest as Mark followed.

"Jackie tell me what's wrong?" he asked, climbing onto the bed next to her. "Why can't you eat anything or keep anything down?"

Jackie shrugged and brought the sheets up to her chest. "Because I can't."

"Jac—" Mark groaned, burying his face in the pillow. "You know that whatever it is, I love you, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Then tell me."

Jackie sighed. "I'm—"

"Mark get the phone!" Mimi shouted. "If it's the florist then tell them to shove it!"

Mark reached over and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

Jackie glared at him. She stood up hesitantly and reached for the closet door. She pulled out a sweatshirt jacket and wrapped it around herself as she held her head. She really needed some sleep, considering she felt dizzy and about to throw up at the same time. Before she could even make it back to the bed, her vision started swimming. "Mark?"

He looked up and held up a finger before continuing the conversation. She reached out for the edge of the bed. "Mark," she said urgently. "MARK."

His head shot up again and shot her a look before realizing that she was about to fall over. "Jesus—" He dropped the phone and dove for her, catching her around the waist as she leaned back some against them. By this time she was crying, lying there on the floor with him. "We're going to the ER. Now." 

She nodded weakly and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry Mark, I'm sorry—"

He picked her up and kicked the bedroom door back. "MIMI!"

She came around the corner toweling her hair off. "Yeah? Oh god Jackie, what happened?"

"I'm fine," was her answer. 

"You're not fine!" Mark shouted at her. He placed her on the couch and grabbed his coat and wallet. 

Jackie cradled her head in her hands. "Stop yelling at me. Please."

Mimi struggled into her own coat. "I'll call Roger and Collins and tell them to meet us there."

"Mark? Hello? Mark, where are you? Don't leave your mother hanging on the phone like this…" 

____________________________________________________________________

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to wait outside—"

"Is there a specific reason I'm not allowed to be in there? Or are you just all being assholes?" Mark asked. Roger stood up and grabbed Mark by the arm and pulled him into the chair.

"I'm sorry sir, we'll let you know what's going on when we have all the test results back."

The doctor left and Collins passed a cup of coffee to Dan, who passed it to Mark. "Just calm down, okay?"

"Calm down? You want me to calm down?"

Mimi rested her head against Roger's chest. "Mark."

"There's something she's not telling me, right?" He looked from Mimi to Roger to Collins to Dan. All of them had been trying not to stare him exactly in the eye. "You all know why, don't you?"

"Mark look—" Mimi tried.

"Just save it Mimi."

Roger glared at him. He had gotten extremely protective of Mimi over the past few months. "Shut the fuck up Mark. Do you realize how much of an asshole you're sounding like now? That's my job."

"She's keeping shit from me and I'm not supposed to be an asshole about it?"

"Yeah."

"That's bullshit. Maybe one of you should try telling me what's going on?" Mark looked to Collins and Dan. "Collins? Dan?"

They both looked at each other and shook their heads. "It's really not our place," Dan said quietly.

  
"Mimi?"

She shrugged and Roger wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulder. 

"Roger?" Roger said nothing. "You all are a bunch of assholes and I can't believe I still associate myself with you. And you, especially." He pointed to Roger before taking off. 

"You're a fuck, Mark." Roger stood up and walked after him. "You're being selfish. Your girlfriend is in there and all you can think about is yourself."

"Myself? You all know what's going on and won't tell me! Now who's being selfish?"

"Mr. Cohen?"

"Because it's not our business!"

"See? That's selfish. You're supposed to be my best friend."

"Mr. Cohen?" the nurse tried again, tapping her foot impatiently. 

"SHE'S PREGNANT!" Roger screamed at him.

"MR. COHEN!" 

Mark looked from Roger to the nurse. "What?"

"Dr. Rodriguez can see you now, if you can pull yourself away from causing a scene in the hallway," she said politely. Mark shot a look back at everyone before following the nurse to the reception desk.

"Dr. Rodriguez, this is Mark Cohen, the boyfriend of Jacqueline Ferrell," she said before leaving. 

Dr. Rodriguez stuck out his hand and Mark shook it. "Is Jackie okay?"

He nodded and stopped in front of Jackie's closed exam room door. "She was severely anemic and dehydrated, both caused from the extreme morning sickness she's been having. We've hooked her up to IV fluid, which should suppress the morning sickness for now. She's actually awake and eating the atrocious hospital food, which really says something," he smiled. 

Mark nodded. "And what about the baby?"

"The baby has a strong heartbeat and Jackie's around 10 weeks now. She's progressing normally, although we're going to need to see her increase her eating habits, which means no more living off of soup and crackers as she told us. You can try giving her small meals throughout the day and have her drink water and ginger ale. The morning sickness should pass in the upcoming weeks, but I want her to work from home until the second trimester if she can manage it."

"Okay."

The doctor wrote out a quick prescription and handed it to Mark. "Here's the prescription for the iron pills. Her OB/GYN Dr. Chesek is on call tonight and will be down as soon as she can."

"I can see her?"

"Sure can. We're holding her for observation until her levels stabilize, which probably means she'll be released sometime tomorrow morning. She'll be moved to a room upstairs in a little bit, but if there's anything you need just let the nurse know and she'll track me down. I'll be in to check on her in a few."

Mark nodded. "Thanks." He walked into the curtained exam room. Jackie was curled up into the fetal position with her back facing towards him. "Jac?"

She shifted onto her back and looked at him. "Hi."

He sat down on the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Okay. Not dizzy. And not about to pass out. Better, I guess." She looked over at him. "So you know? About the baby? And do you hate me?"

Mark stretched out on the bed next to her and shook his head. "I know. I don't hate you. Why would you think that?"

Jackie shrugged. "Because of a lot of reasons. My last ex boyfriend hated me enough to throw me down a flight of stairs. And there's the fact that we've only been together for a little over three months."

Mark drew himself closer to her and she instinctively pressed her head against his shoulder. "Jackie, I love you. I care so much about you. _So fucking much_. Half the time I can't stop thinking about you, and the other half of the time I want to be with you. I mean, I have you, right?"

"Right."

"And having a kid is like having me and you put together, so why would I hate you? Or hate that for any matter?"

"I don't know."

"We can do this Jac. Together. It's not going to be one-sided parenting. I'll be there for you—I'll take care of you through everything. I promise."

Jackie nodded. "You promise? Because you're not making me cry for nothing, right?" she laughed.

"I promise." He kissed her on the forehead. "How do you feel about it?"

"Scared, but happy at the same time. Really scared, I guess."

"So am I, but we can do this together. Seriously, I think it's about time that I started having kids. My younger sister beat me to it. Cindy has two with another on the way. Even Roger and Mimi beat us to it. I always wanted to have kids before I turned 30."

"Mark, you're not going to be 30 for another 5 years."

" 4 and a ½. And you're not going to be 30 for another 8," he reminded her. 

"Nyah nyah," she teased, kissing him lightly. "It's a little cold in here."

He stood up and grabbed a heavy blanket off of the empty bed and placed it over her before climbing back underneath it, pulling her into him. "So Mom, whose parents do we call first?"

"Yours."

"Hah." He kissed her again. "You know I'm gonna get the speech, right?"

"I think it's too late for the sex speech," Jackie added. 

"Oh you're funny."

"Wanna see how funny I can get?" she asked, playfully reaching her hand towards his pants. Mark blushed. "Oh yeah, forgot I can't do that for another month!"

Mark's mouth dropped open. "You can't? We can't?"

"Well _that_ I can do. We can't do the other thing until I'm in the second trimester. Doctor's orders."

"I guess we're just going to have to find other ways to entertain ourselves," he grinned. "Hey, did you find out when you were due? And how long have you been keeping me in the dark?"

"I found out a few days before we left Sydney. I went to the doctor a few days after we got back and she confirmed it. I was 8 ½ weeks by then, and I didn't know how to tell you. Jillian and my sister were the first ones to know, and then Mimi, who told Roger, who apparently told Collins, who obviously told Dan, who probably told—"

Mark playfully kissed her. "Okay I get it. So basically the father didn't get to know, right?"

"Right. And I'm due December 15th. A nice Hanukkah and Christmas present, depending on how you look at it."

"Wow. This is really—really—I love you," he said, grasping her hand in his.

"Good, because I love you too. Now what speech were you talking about?"

"The whole marriage speech. My mother's going to rag on me about it," he joked. "Then she'll bring up Rabbi Himmelfarb."

"Oh." Jackie looked down at their hands. "Well, um."

Mark looked over at her. "I'm not saying that we have to get married—or anything," he blurted out, blushing once again. "Sorry, that was stupid of me."

"No, it's not. I just haven't thought much about the 'm' word. Not until I met you, at least." She nuzzled up against him. "I just didn't think I'd be pregnant so soon again. I was only 20 the first time around. I just turned 22 years old. I didn't think I would actually find someone to be married to."

Mark laughed. "Neither did I. Come on, I'm this geeky loser who loves to make films on a Friday night. There's something seriously wrong with that."

Jackie shook her head. "I don't see anything wrong with that. But seriously, we're going to have a baby together, so why not get married? And if your parents are anything like mine, they'll rag on us to get married until we're blue in the face. By that point, we'll do it Vegas style drive-thru," she laughed.

"Ohh classy. Very stylish."

"I know you aren't."

Mark grinned. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"So am I. I just wish I didn't have to stay here overnight," she complained. "I feel like an invalid."

"Aww Jac. I'll be an invalid with you overnight. It'll be fun."

"Only if you get me a soda and McDonald's french fries?" she pouted, kissing him on the cheek. "Please baby?"

Mark groaned. "Alright alright. I'll have Roger sit in here with you."

"Oh fun."

He leaned over to kiss her. "I'll be back in twenty."

Mark walked out of the room. Roger was sitting against the wall making small conversation with Dan. "Hey, where's Mimi and Collins?"

"At the cafeteria. Mimi said she was starved, and Collins wanted another cup of coffee. How's Jac?"

"I'm on a mission to get her Mickey D's fries and a soda. I think she's better."

Roger grinned. "I'd say so. Want me to go sit with her?"

"Thanks."

"I'm heading to the cafeteria. Want anything Roger?" Dan yawned. 

"Um, maybe a coffee. Yeah, coffee's good," he answered. 

________________________________________________________________________

LATER THAT NIGHT

"Hey, you're home," Mimi said. She was tucked under the sheets in their bed when Roger came in. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed in next to her. 

"Hi baby," he said to her. "Hi baby," he added, kissing her stomach as Mimi giggled.

"Pretty soon you're going to have two babies," she added. "Did you take your pills?"

"As soon as I got through the door."

"Mark staying overnight with Jackie?" 

Roger nodded and wrapped his arm around her. "Yeah. They're supposed to discharge her tomorrow morning or afternoon."

"That's good."

"She was anemic just like you were."

"They gave her the iron pills then?"

Roger nodded again. "Yeah. I think so."

"Good."

She started rubbing her feet against his legs. "My feet are cold."

He reached for his drawer and dug out a pair of his socks. "Here." He reached over and put them on her feet. "Better?"

"There's something in the left one?" she said, itching at her foot. She dug around inside of it and started giggling. "Roger."

He looked over. "What?"

"There's a condom in your sock," she said, holding her side as she laughed. She unwrapped it and smelled it.

Roger stared at her. "Did you just smell that? You don't know where that's been!"

"It's new. I think." She shrugged. "Yeah. It's flavored, or don't you know?" She shot it at him and it bounced off his chest. "Oh my god! It's glow in the dark!" 

"Yeah…"

"Sorry."

Roger laughed and propped himself up on his elbow. "You're cute when you do things like that. Laugh and use your imagination and everything."

"Thanks baby."

"We're getting married next weekend," he said suddenly. "Does it seem real to you yet?"

Mimi looked at him and linked her fingers through his. "It's starting to."

He kissed her and ran his fingers up her back. "I know. I can't wait."

"Oh, there goes the bad boy image. Out the window, man. Like man, I'm getting married to my girlfriend next Sunday. Like oh man, rock on!" she imitated.

"You _are_ too cute. I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

"We can play with the glow in the dark condom? I wonder if your sperm glows in the dark?"

He grinned and started kissing down her neck." We could always find out…"

________________________________________________________________________

NEXT UP: The bachelor party and the wedding!


	34. 34

CHAPTER 34

A quick recap of some of the characters and family members:

Frank Davis: Roger's father

Sandra Davis: Roger's mother

Lindsey Davis: Roger's older sister

Marissa Davis: Lindsey's 3 year old daughter

Lisa Cohen: Mark's 17 year old  sister

Matt Hayes: Lisa's 18 year old boyfriend and father of their son, Noah.

Noah Hayes-Cohen: Lisa and Matt's 3 month old son

Evan and Travis: Members of Roger's band

Wes, Lori, and Gwen Marcaly: Wes is the drummer to Roger's band, Lori is his wife, and Gwen is their daughter.

I think that wraps up everyone. 

33 Review! It's the wedding!

________________________________________________________________________

"Jac?"

Mark walked out of the bathroom and kissed her on the forehead. "You swear you're going to be okay? I don't have to go if you don't want me to."

"I'll be fine Mark. It's not every day your best friend gets married. Go out and have a good time," she said, standing up.

"I promise no strippers," he said as he slipped on his shoes.

Jackie laughed. "Whatever you say. You have your own personal stripper waiting at home." She followed him out into the living room. "So your mother's still coming tomorrow for the wedding? With your dad, right?"

"Yeah."

Roger came out of the bedroom, his arm wrapped around Mimi. "Mark, you ready to go? Collins and Dan are meeting us downstairs with the cab."

"Ooh someone's excited to get a lap dance," Maureen laughed. She was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in her hands watching the TV. 

Roger rolled his eyes and pulled Mimi into the kitchen. "You're okay with this?"

She nodded. "It's fine baby. Because tomorrow by this time we're going to be married and you won't be a bachelor anymore," she laughed. She gave him kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Whatever you say Mrs. Davis," he grinned. He scooped her up and carried her back into the living room and set her next to Maureen.

"Uh uh. I'm still Miss Marquez tonight."

"I love you," he said, giving her a final kiss before heading for the door.

"I love you more!" Maureen cooed as Mimi playfully shoved her shoulder. 

"Roger, come here," Jackie said, pulling him to the side near the door. 

"Yeah?"

"Get Mark a stripper," she laughed. "He could use it."

Roger smirked. "You got it."

"Bye guys!" Maureen said. "Leave already! Us girls have work to do!"

Mark gave Jackie a kiss. "I won't be out late."

"Just go and have a good time. I'll see you later tonight," she said, closing the door behind them both. "Jesus, I thought they'd never leave."

Mimi grinned. "Neither did I. Let's party!"

Maureen stood up and switched on the stereo. She walked into Roger and Mimi's bedroom just as the doorbell rang. 

"I'll get it!" Mimi hollered.

"Hey guys," Lindsey said, pushing Marissa in the room. Her arms were full with an overnight bag and presents. 

"Hey Linds," Mimi said, giving her a quick hug. "Did you have a hard time getting up here?"

"Nah. A little bit of traffic on the parkway, but it wasn't that bad. Did my pain in the ass brother and his sidekick leave yet?" she joked, setting the presents on the kitchen counter. 

"Sure did," Maureen piped up. "We practically had to force him out of the door."

"You ready to get married?" Lindsey asked. "Especially to my brother? Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

Mimi laughed and nodded. "I'm feeling fine. Where are you staying tonight?"

"Downstairs with Lisa and Matt, who surprisingly weren't home. So I figured I'd come upstairs and drop my present off as well as Jimmy and Kim's. Just to let you know, my mom and dad are going to be here around 11:30 tomorrow."

"I thought Roger didn't want his dad to come to the wedding?" Maureen asked. Mimi shot her a look. "I mean—"

Lindsey laughed. "Yeah well, you can't really keep Frank Davis away when he has his mind set on anything."

Just then, the doorbell rang again. Maureen stood up to get it. "Oooh!" she squealed. "You guys look!"

"Hey," Lisa greeted. Matt followed in behind her, carrying Noah in his carrier. "Guess who we brought with us?"

Mimi gave her a hug. "Oh Lisa, he's beautiful. Did he just fall asleep?"

Matt laughed and shook his head. "No way. He's faking it. He's mastered the art of doing it to look cute."

"He tried it out enough on my mom today," Lisa added. Just then, Noah started to fuss and Lisa picked him up and started rocking him back and forth. "He's been a little cranky today."

"I don't blame him. Anyone would be cranky around your mom," Matt joked. He took Noah from Lisa as she pulled out the baby's bottle and handed it to him. 

"The doctor's said he's okay?"

"Yup. He's good to go. He's almost 7 pounds already." She handed Matt a bib before turning back to the girls. "So somebody's getting married tomorrow!"

"Yeah," Mimi smiled. "So what's the plan Mo?"

"Oh yeah." She stood up and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Oh my god, she wrote it down," Jackie teased.

"We all have to be up by 8 AM to get our nails done. That means me, Jackie, Lisa, and of course Mimi. We should be out of the place by 10 latest. Then we're getting our hair done at the salon down the street at 10:30. It should take an hour, which means we'll be back at the loft at 11:30. Then before we get back, I'll call ahead and make sure the guys are out of the place, which means we have it to ourselves to get dressed. The limos will be here by 1, and we'll be at the church by 1:30 if there's traffic."

"Sound like a game plan," Mimi laughed. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Jackie rolled over and yawned. Mark was sitting at the edge of their bed, taking his shoes off. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. We all had a good time. Roger is the perfect guy to take into a strip club," Mark laughed. 

"Did he have a good time?"

"Of course. Even Collins and Dan had a good time, and they're both gay!" He pulled himself under the sheets next to her. "Maureen didn't drive you insane, did she?"

"Nah. I think she was grating on Mimi's nerves though. Do me a favor and set the alarm for 8 AM."

"Why?" he asked, reaching over to punch in the numbers.

"Because the wedding planner is taking us to get our nails done first thing," she groaned, resting her head on his chest. "And to think you actually dated her. You dated a psycho."

Mark laughed. "Now I'm dating you. You're about as far from psycho you can get."

"Good. Now go to sleep because unlike you, I have an early wake up call."

"Night. Love you."

"Love you too."

___________________________________________

Roger slapped the 'snooze' button on the alarm and rolled over, his arm draped over Mimi's side. "Good morning Miss Marquez…" he said, kissing her.

"Ugh. You're not a dog. Stop slobbering all over me," she smiled. 

"Oh nice." He pulled himself on top of her and started planting kisses all over her neck and chest. "Ready to get married?"

"I thought there was something important I had to do today," she said, giggling as he moved up to her neck. "But we might have to miss it if you don't cut that out."

"You're going to be Mrs. Davis in six hours."

"No way! I thought I was going to be Mrs. Cohen!" she teased, sitting up.

"Funny."

"Ha ha. How was last night?" She pulled on a tank top and sweatpants and stood up. 

He grinned. "Good. But you don't have to know about that."

"Why not?" She pulled her curly hair into a messy bun.

"Cuz we could reenact it right now," he smirked, pulling her down next to him. 

"Roger Michael Davis!" she squealed.

__________________________________________________________________

"Jackie do you have the flowers?" Mimi shouted out. She was standing on a chair in the middle of the living room, the train on her gown flowing over the side. 

"The florist has them at the church! They should be in the refrigerator!" she added from the bathroom.

"Okay there. It's pinned enough in front so you're not about to fall on your face walking down the aisle," Maureen said. She helped Mimi down off the chair and started adjusting her veil. "I hope she's okay. She's been throwing up in the bathroom all morning."

"I think she'll be okay." Mimi looked over. "Does it look okay? I don't look fat, do I? God I hope the photographer takes flattering pictures," she groaned, running her hand over her stomach.

"You look beautiful. And for the millionth time today, you don't look fat. At all. You can barely tell in the dress," Lisa pointed out. She was trying to put in an earring and rock Noah in his swing at the same time. 

"Lisa is your dress okay in the front? The stupid tailor kept fucking up the measurements!" Maureen said, running over to Lisa with a bunch of pins and fabric measuring tape. 

"Yes Mo. For the final time, all of our matching bridesmaids dresses look fine," Lisa mocked as Maureen swatted at her.

Jackie, Lisa, and Maureen each were wearing matching lilac dresses with thin spaghetti straps and a low neckline. Their hair was pinned up and curled with a few wisps hanging down to frame their faces. 

Mimi's dress had fit perfectly after it had been tailored. It was strapless and form fitting, but it stretched enough around the stomach that her pregnancy was camouflaged. Her hair was twisted half up and half down, and her curls were tamed and resting perfectly on her shoulders.  "Guys?"

"Yeah?" Lisa asked. She had picked up Noah in his baby blanket and had propped him up against her shoulder, rubbing his back.

"Do I have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Maureen froze and looked like she was about to panic. "Okay. Your earrings are old, right?"

"Yeah, I bought them a few years ago."

"And your dress is new. So is the baby!" Lisa added.

"You borrowed my silver bracelet," Maureen added, pointing to Mimi's wrist.

"Then what's blue?"

"My toenails?" Mimi giggled. "Yeah, they're baby blue."

"Then we're good to go."

_______________________________________________________________________

Mimi and the girls' limousine pulled up in front of the church twenty minutes later. Maureen ushered Mimi inside and into the side room quickly before even the priest could see her. Lisa had somehow found her mother and passed off Noah to her, then followed Jackie into the room as well.

Roger was attempting to adjust his tuxedo jacket in the mirror with Collins help when Mark came in, followed by Dan. 

"They're here," he announced. "Why are you still playing with your jacket?"

Roger glared at him. "Because I'm fucking nervous and I have nothing better to do. Do you have the rings?"

"No Roger, they're at home on the counter. Yes I have the rings," he said, holding them out so he could see.

"Good."

"And you have the marriage license? Right?" Mark nodded. "And is my mother here yet?"

"Um, I think so." Mark checked out the window. "Yeah, she's coming up the stairs right now."

"Okay."

Collins grabbed Dan's arm and pulled him towards the door again. "We're going to see if the girls need any help."

"Yeah. Thanks," Mark said. They door closed and Roger turned around.

"Do I look okay?"

"You look fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"And you have the rings?"  
  


"Yes."

"What if I forget what to say?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch.

Mark laughed. "Rog, the priest makes it easy for you. You only have to repeat what he says."

"I mean the vows, douche bag."

"That's why you have the piece of paper in your jacket pocket," Mark reminded him. 

"Oh, right."

"Do you love her?"

Roger stared at him like he head three heads. "What the fuck kind of question is that? Of course I love her."

"Then you'll be fine."

Roger nodded and grinned. "Yeah, I guess we will be."

"You'll be married before you know it." Mark had just stood up when a soft rap was heard at the door. He opened it to find Roger's mother standing on the other side. "Hi Mark."

"Hi Mrs. Davis."

"Could you give me a minute with my son?" she asked. Mark nodded. 

"I'll come get you when it's time?"

Roger nodded. "Thanks Mark. For everything."

"No problem."

Sandra walked over to Roger and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug and a kiss. "You look wonderful. I just saw Mimi. She looks beautiful."

"Thanks Mom. Did dad come with you?"

Sandra nodded. "He's talking with Mark's father and Mimi's stepfather right now."

"Oh."

"Honey, I just want you to know how proud am I of you. I know neither of us have told you that enough over the years—especially your father, but we really are. You're my baby boy, and you're finally getting married. Mimi's such a sweetheart, and you're lucky to have her. You really are."

Roger nodded. "I know."

"And now you have that baby on the way, and you're going to be a great father. I know it. So forget what your father says to you. You'll be great." She leaned over and gave him another kiss on the check. "I'll see you after the ceremony." She stood up and headed towards the door."

"I love you Mom."

"I know honey. I love you too." She smiled before shutting the door behind her.

"Mimi? You ready honey?"

Mimi looked up and nodded. "Yeah. I guess as ready as I ever will be. Nervous. Kind of."

Maureen nodded as she helped her pull the veil over her face. She handed the flowers to her. "Collins will be waiting right in the hall to walk you down the aisle, okay?" She gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so happy for you."

Mimi smiled as Maureen paused before the doors to the church. Marissa was positioned in front of her, her basket of flower petals hanging off her arm. The opening music started. "Go ahead sweetie," Maureen whispered in Marissa's ear. Marissa started off down the white-carpeted aisle.

"Nervous yet?" Mark asked, nudging Roger in the ribs.

"Not really." Marissa had reached the end of the aisle and Lindsey helped her to the side as Maureen started down with Dan on her arm. 

"You always were a bad liar," Mark laughed. 

"Shut up, dickhead."

Dan walked back down the side of the pews and met up with Jackie, who extended her arm just as Lisa and Matt headed down the aisle. "We're short an usher," he grinned. "I guess Maureen fucked up that part."

Jackie smiled. "Just act like it didn't happen." She turned around and smiled at Mimi, who looked like she was about to cry. Collins squeezed her hand gently. 

"You'll be great," he whispered reassuringly in her ear.

"God I hope so," she laughed. Jackie and Dan headed down the aisle and before Mimi knew it, so was she.

Collins gave her a kiss and pulled back her veil. She smiled in Roger's direction, but the minute she took Roger's hand, she felt herself start to choke up with tears. Here she was, a few months shy of 21 years old, getting married. How many times had she pretended to get married with her sisters when they were younger? Now she was going to be a wife—and in 4 and ½ months, a mother. 

She looked up at Roger and he smiled and squeezed her hand gently in his. She could see that he was getting choked up too as the priest breezed through the opening part of the ceremony.

The priest smiled warmly down at them and he linked their right hands together. Somewhere in the corner Maureen could be heard blowing her nose. 

"Do you, Roger Michael, take Marcela Concepcion to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?"

Roger glanced at Mimi, who had tears streaming down her face and squeezed her hand again. "I do."

"Yay! Mommy Uncle Roger said he does! Grandma ya hear that!" Marissa said loudly as everyone laughed. Mimi giggled and Roger smiled down at her.

"Sorry father," Lindsey apologized. Sandra held Marissa on her lap and smiled on at Roger and Mimi.

"Hey, it happens," he chuckled. "Do you, Marcela Concepcion, take Roger Michael to be your husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?"

Mimi nodded. "I do."

The priest said a few more words before asking for the rings. "May I have the rings?" Mark fumbled in his pocket and finally pulled out the two rings. He grinned at Roger who shook his head. 

The priest blessed the rings. Roger took the silver band set with a few diamonds and slipped on Mimi's finger as she stared at him. She had no idea where he had come up with the money to get such a beautiful ring in such short notice. "With this ring, I thee wed."

And it was there that Mimi lost it. Jackie passed down a tissue to her and she wiped at her eyes. Mimi took the other ring from Mark and slipped the band onto Roger's finger, still crying. "With this ring, I thee wed," she said, trying to steady her voice.

"Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Michael Davis. Roger, I think it's about time that you kissed your bride," he smiled. 

Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi's waist and pulled her in for a kiss, finally breaking apart as the applause rung out over the church. 

"Hell yeah! Davis got hitched!" Evan, a member of the Hungarians shouted out, his arm wrapped around his girlfriend Maggie.

"Oh for Christ's—" Wes said, looking up at the stained glass windows in the church. "Yeah. Be quiet. We're in the house of god."

Roger smiled at them and held out his arm for Mimi, and she linked her own through as they walked down the aisle. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks," she whispered. "God I'm still crying." She looked over at her mother, who was crying, and reached out her hand and squeezed her arm.

He laughed and kissed her again. "Don't worry. You're still beautiful." He led her down the steps and into the limousine as everyone behind them started throwing rice. 

Mark paused by the open limousine door. "We'll meet you at the hotel? In the main reception hall?"

Roger nodded. "Yeah. See ya there," he grinned, giving Mimi another kiss.

__________________________________________________________

"Give it up for Mr. and Mrs. Roger Davis!" the DJ shouted. Roger linked his fingers through Mimi's hand and led her to the dance floor.

"Can I half ass the steps?" he asked. She laughed and nodded, resting her head against his chest as their music started. 

"Sure baby. Because I don't know what the fuck I'm doing either," she giggled. His hand found her waist and they started swaying. "Everyone's starting at us, aren't they?"

Roger looked over her shoulder and nodded. He saw his mother, Mimi's mother, and Mrs. Cohen both crying into their tissues. "Pretty much. Either watching us, crying, or raiding the bar."

"Who's at the bar?" she asked.

"Evan and Travis, those shits," he laughed. 

"Oh behave," she smiled.

Roger grinned at her. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" he sang, horribly off key. "I'm no good without you anyhow…"

"I hope you're not planning on singing like that at any of your upcoming gigs," she laughed. The song ended, and he led her back to the table. As soon as they took their seats, Mark stood up with his champagne glass.

"Yeah. Thanks," Mark said as everyone quieted down. "I know the best man is supposed to have this great speech prepared, but unfortunately last night I was a little preoccupied—" Jackie looked down and blushed. "For lack of better things to say, Roger, I've know you since we were five years old. We were in the fucking sandbox together, and I'm really proud of you and the person you've become. You've overcome a lot of shit to get this far. You're married and are about to become a father. Fuck anyone who gives you shit about that."

Roger looked over and noticed his father sitting next to his mother and noticed for the first time in almost a decade that he had a smile on his face, directed right towards him. 

"And Mimi, you're like a sister to me. I wish you and Roger nothing but happiness. I love you guys." Mark raised his glass. "To Roger and Mimi Davis."

"Here here!"

Roger's father then stood up, at first hesitantly, but was pushed forward by Roger's mother. Mimi looked over at Roger and squeezed his hand. 

Frank took the mic. "I know that I'm about the last person you'd expect to see up here, considering my son and I haven't had the best track record over the years. I know we've both said a lot of things to hurt each other, but when I see him sitting up here, married, and with my daughter-in-law at his side, I'm very proud of the man he's become. I sure as hell know I haven't said that to him, but I'm saying it now. Roger, I love you. I always have. I'm just a stubborn Italian ass, and you know it best of all."

"Thanks Dad," Roger said.

"No problem son. And Mimi, welcome to the family honey," he added. 

"Thank you," she smiled. 

The night progressed on, and eventually Maureen, Collins, Dan, Jackie, and just about anyone else who wanted to came up and said a few words. The cake had been cut, and the bouquet of flowers thrown, which had been caught by Jackie. Around 11:30 the reception started to wind down.

"You look tired," Mark said as he swayed back and forth with Jackie. Her shoes had long been taken off and she was dancing in her stockings.

"Mmm I am. I don't feel that great again," she groaned, resting her head against his chest. Mark looked up and noticed Maureen about to fall over and Roger and Mimi making out in the corner.

 "I think everyone's about ready to call it a night. Roger's parents are upstairs in their rooms, and mine are on the parkway back to Scarsdale."

"Your mom seemed nice," Jackie added. Mark led her to a seat and handed her a glass of water. 

"Yeah. She liked you."

"Good." Jackie took a sip of the water. "Should we head up to our room?"

"Yeah. I guess we could. I have the keys in my pocket. Rog, you and Meems heading upstairs?"

He looked over and nodded. "Yeah, we were just about to go to the elevators. You guys going up?"

"In a different one," Jackie shouted over, teasing. 

"Thanks. I was gonna make you take the next one anyway."

"We'll see you in the morning," Mark called as Roger led Mimi out of the reception hall and towards the elevators.

The elevator arrived at the 10th floor and Roger dug out his key and opened their hotel door. "So how does it feel to be Mrs. Davis?" he asked as he scooped her up and carried her inside. He kicked the door shut behind him and placed her on the bed. She winked and stared up at him.

"Pretty damn good. Finally."

He took of his shoes and climbed next to her, kissing all up and down her chest and neck. "How tired are you?"

"Hmm." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm pretty tired, but I'm not _that _tired. Let's go for our wedding night marathon, Mr. Davis."

He started to unzip her dress and grinned. "You got it baby."

____________________________________________________________________

[A/N: And that kids, was the wedding. Woo.]


	35. 35

CHAPTER 35

A/N: Yay, I'm glad you guys liked the wedding so much! Thanks for all of the awesome reviews. I love you all.

_____________________________________________________________

"Mimi," Roger said, kissing down her face to her neck. "Time to get up."

Mimi's eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him. "What?"

Roger laughed at her. "The front desk called about twenty minutes ago with the wake up call. Mark's gonna be pounding on our door any second," he joked.

She yawned and sat up, wrapping the sheets around herself. "I can't believe I slept right through it." She brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at him. "And Mark better not if he knows what's good for him."

"Yeah well, I guess I wore you out last night."

She threw a pillow at him before handing him his boxers. "Oh you're so amusing." She glanced over at the floor, where her dress and his tuxedo were lying scattered in pieces. "Can you grab a shirt for me from your bag?"

He nodded and picked up the main part of her dress and placed it on the bed before bringing a shirt to her. "Did we bring anything to put your dress in?"

Mimi nodded. "Yeah, there should be a garment bag or something in the closet. We can always get one from the desk."

Roger picked up the rest of their clothes and set them on a chair, grinning at her. He stood up and pulled her towards him. "So Mrs. Davis, how about a shower?"

"You know if we do that we won't be out of here on time."

"So what? Hawaii's not going anywhere," he laughed, picking her up and carrying her towards the bathroom.

"Roger!"

______________________________________________________________________

"It's kind of weird to have the loft so quiet lately," Mark said. He was stretched out on the couch with Jackie, who was curled on top of him.

"Yeah. But they'll be back in three days. Then it won't be so quiet here. With the sex, and the complaining, and Roger leaving his clothes all over the place…" Jackie giggled as she drummed her fingers on Mark's chest.

Mark groaned. "Let's just enjoy it while it lasts," he added. Jackie moved her legs to the side, and as she did so, her t-shirt rose up above her jeans, showing off her slightly raised—but still flat—stomach. "I still can't believe there's a baby in there."

"Somebody didn't pay attention in health class," she teased. She sat up on his lap and he placed his hands under her shirt, on her stomach. 

"I wonder if we're having a boy or a girl?" he asked her. 

Jackie shrugged. "We probably won't be able to find out until July."

"July's too far away."

Jackie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We have a hell of a lot of things to do."

"Like getting a crib."

"And work on the nursery."

Mark grinned and kissed her. "So what about names?"

"We're not naming it after Roger. It'll get a complex."

"So will he," Mark laughed.

"Roger already has a complex," Jackie laughed. "I can't think of any right now. Except for Hannah, for a girl."

Mark laughed. "My mom will like that one. 'Hannah, that's a strong Jewish name…' I can hear it already."

"You're horrible."

"Oh yeah? Well if I'm so horrible—" he paused, trying to think of something to say. "Yeah."

"That's what I thought," Jackie laughed. She stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"Hungry?" 

She shook her head. "Maybe just a little. I think I'm going to try chicken tonight."

The doorbell rang, and Mark walked over to it. Pulling it open, he found Collins and Dan on the other side. Collins had a pizza in one hand and a magazine in the other. "Hey guys."

"Did you see this?" Dan asked, practically throwing the magazine at Mark. Collins sighed and shook his head. 

"See what?" Jackie asked. She took the pizza and placed it on the counter, giving Collins a hug and a kiss on the cheek in the process.

"Let's just say that Roger might not be too thrilled when he reads that article," Collins said. Mark flipped to the page that was marked and scanned it. 

"Ex-con attempts singing career?" Mark said.

Dan scoffed at him. "Next page."

Jackie sat down on Mark's lap and started reading the article with him.

____

**_Hungarians _Front MenGet Their Acts Together After Hiatus: Drugs, Fiancées, and New Babies, Oh My!**

It only takes one look at gorgeous 26-year-old lead singer Roger Davis to figure out what he was doing in high school—and we're not talking about homework. 

"Davis is a good guy. He's the kind of person you want to be around, you know? Always has something to say," Steve, who bartends with Davis on the weekends informs us. "His band kicks a lot of ass."

He's not the only one who thinks the _Hungarians _have a lot of ass-kicking to do.

_The Well Hungarians_ are back on the map this summer after recently being signed with Scarred Records.

"They pose a lot of talent. We wouldn't have signed them if they weren't what we were looking for," says CEO Alex Tridelec. "The music scene is slowly leaning towards rock and punk rock again. The waters are perfect to test out right now."

Davis grew up in Scarsdale, NY, and relocated to the city with long time best friend Mark Cohen, 25, in the summer of '89. It was then that he connected with Wes Marcaly, 31, a struggling drummer and the future backbone of the band. 

"He had the looks and the talent. That's what bands were about then. You had to have the right look to get anywhere in the business," Wes has said. "Now it's more about the music. We could be as ugly as a donkey's ass, and still kids would come out because of our music. That's what makes us want to go out there and continue making music."

It seems like both Davis and Marcaly have much more on their hands now then just making music.

Just two days ago it was confirmed that Davis and longtime girlfriend Marcela (Mimi) Marquez, a 20 year old Argentinean beauty, tied the knot in front of their friends and family in a small but momentous ceremony on May 18.

Some of you might be surprised about the age difference—considering that Davis is close to 6 years her senior, but could there be underlying reasons to their marriage? Ladies, don't hold your breath for a breakup anytime soon, because an anonymous source close to our magazine has let us in on a well-kept secret.

Mimi is pushing six months pregnant with their daughter, due sometime in early September.

Wes Marcaly isn't a stranger to marriage and children either. He and wife Lori, 28, celebrated their one-year anniversary last month. They also have a five-month-old daughter, Gwen, born in January of this year. 

"It's tough balancing a music career with a wife and a daughter, but it's very rewarding at the end of the day to come home to two people that show you unconditional love. No matter who pissed you the f*ck off today or who couldn't make it to practice—you go home and to be with them--it's just a huge weight lifted off your shoulders."

So can Davis make ends meet as well?

According to Marcaly, he can. "Roger's not just dedicated to his music—he's dedicated to his friends and family as well. Right now he's focusing pretty heavily on being there for his new wife and their baby. He's pretty psyched about getting everything ready for her. He's doing his thing and enjoying married life."

We even questioned Marcaly on the bands rumored status with heroin addiction. Their manager declined from commenting, and all Marcaly put in was this:

"There was a time where we [The Hungarians] were into heavy drug experimentation. It was the 90s; it was the popular thing to do at the time. We've all had our ups and downs, we've all been through rehab—we all have been clean for more than 3 years. We've learned from our mistakes and what they've cost us. We have our heads on straight now. We're good—we're focused on music now."

_The Well Hungarians _are also backed by bass players Travis Quinn, 29, and Evan Owens, 27. 

Former member and co-founder Vinnie Oldham passed away two years ago from AIDS related complications. He was only 28 years old. 

"Not a day goes by that we don't think of Vinnie," Owens said. "He made us who we are today. He molded us."

Quinn agrees. "Vinnie was our father figure. We looked up to him. It's hard getting together for practice without having him hovering over our shoulder. He would have been 30 years old last week. It's hard."

The Hungarians are slated to release a CD, currently in production, right in time for the holidays. Look out for a tour to follow.

___

Mark closed the magazine and looked up at Collins. "It could have been worse."

Dan nodded. "It could of, but Roger's going to be pretty pissed to see Mimi brought up in the article."

Collins sighed and placed the magazine on the coffee table. "As well as the heroin."

"But wouldn't it have been brought out in the open sooner or later? You know how reporters are, they find the right people and they question them. For money and all that shit," Jackie added.

Mark nodded and ran his hand up and down her back. "Yeah."

Collins cleared his throat suddenly. "Why do I have a feeling that most of the information was gathered by our dear friend Benjamin Coffin the third?" he asked.

"You think so?" Mark asked.

"Think about it. Something had to slip, and the person had to be close enough to one of us. The article kept mentioning an anonymous source," he added, flipping the section in the magazine. "Obviously Benny would know about Roger's heroin addiction and then he could have easily found out the other information."

"Maybe we shouldn't pin all the blame on Benny just yet," Jackie voiced. "I mean, Roger knows that as his band gets more publicity, they're going to get good and bad articles written about them."

"Yeah, but this is about Roger," Mark said, getting a little frustrated with Jackie. 

"You can't protect him forever Mark," she reminded him. 

"I'm not fucking protecting him, I'm just trying to look out for him," he argued. 

She lifted herself off of his lap and walked into the bathroom. "Fine Mark."

Mark sighed. Collins and Dan had retreated to the kitchen. He started to follow her, but decided to call after her instead. "Do you want anything to eat? Pizza or something? I could run down to the deli if you want."

"No thanks. I'll be okay. As soon as I stop puking."

_____________________________________________________________________

"I don't want to go back to the loft."

Mimi laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. "Neither do I. But you have the band, and we have to start getting ready for the kid," she said, placing her on hand on her stomach. 

Roger grinned at her and kissed her. "Yeah. I almost forgot about the kid." He pulled her towards the edge of the water and splashed her, catching her off guard.

"Roger!" she giggled. She splashed him back and smiled. "How could you forget about the kid? I'm huge."

"We're not having the sympathy discussion about your weight again are we?" he asked. "Because I'm not buying it this time."

Mimi pretending to pout. "Fine then. Just leave your poor, pregnant wife sitting out on the sand dune all by herself then." She turned away from the ocean and started walking up the beach, finally settling herself on a dune. 

She watched him from a distance as he made faces at her and splashed around in the water, begging for her to come in with him. The sun was in the process of setting, and it casted an orange glow over the turquoise water. She used to love watching the sunset and rise. All the colors the sky would turn fascinated her. It seemed peaceful enough—like a new beginning.

But as she sat here, she felt guilty. She knew that one day, they'd die on one another, and she had no way of knowing who would be the first to go. It hurt her in ways that she hadn't thought were possible to realize that she'd be leaving her daughter alone in the world to fend for herself.

But no, Jaylynn would never truly be alone. She'd at least have Mark and Jackie, and she knew that she'd never even have to ask for them to watch over her. Roger had just mended his relationship with his parents and his family, so she had Frank, Sandra, and Lindsey as well. 

She had her mother, Lola, who she still didn't exactly get along with, but deep down there was mutual love and trust between them. There always had been. 

And Collins and Dan as well. Yes, one day they would both be gone, but at least Jaylynn would have known how good of a person they both were.

She wasn't regretting getting married—no, that's not what she was thinking at all. She wanted to be married to him. She had a feeling that through all the fights, pregnant or not, they would have ended up married, as crazy as that sounded. But then again, it was insane to think that they _were _actually married. They had done it. They had tied the knot. It seemed pretty natural, but still, Mimi and Roger were the last two people you'd expect to get married. Especially Roger.

"Earth to my beautiful wife."

Mimi looked up to find Roger hovering over her. "What?"

"I asked if you wanted a drink from the bar."

"I'm not 21."

He shrugged and grinned at her. "Next month you will be."

He helped her up and wrapped his arm around her waist. "So you do listen to half of what I tell you," she smiled, pulling herself onto her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

"Hey, I listen to all of what you tell me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He linked his hand through hers and led her in the direction of the hotel bar. "You know what I'm thinking?"

She rolled her eyes. "I never know what you're thinking."

"I think I'm gonna get another tattoo."

She started laughing as they passed the pool. "Not like you need another one. Your whole arms are practically tattoos."

He shook his head. "Not really. They stop above my elbow. And I only have two on my back."

"But still," she protested. "Don't turn into one of those grungy punk rockers with tattoos all over their body."

"So you wouldn't love me if I was grungy?"

"I preferred the showered and clean version of Roger Davis."

"I was thinking about getting something with your name in it and Jaylynn's name in it," he said. She looked back at him and pressed the elevator button.

"Seriously?"

He nodded and kissed her again. "Yeah. I've been wanting to do it for awhile now."

"Maybe you should at least wait until I have the baby—in case Jaylynn turns out to be a boy," she teased. 

Roger shrugged and opened their hotel room door, letting Mimi slip inside before him. "Maybe I'll take Mark with me. I'll see if I can get him tattooed."

"Tough luck with that," she laughed, yawning. She stretched out on the bed.

"You just wait. When the baby's born, instead of cigars, I'm getting him tattooed. And maybe pierced." He adjusted the air conditioning in the room and turned on the TV. "So what do you want to do tonight?" He looked over at Mimi. Her eyes were closed and her breathing had evened out. She had fallen asleep.

He walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "I guess nothing then, huh?" He brushed a few of the curls out her face. "Night Meems. I love you."

He drew the shades enough just so that the Hawaiian moonlight reflected into the room, illuminating her hair. He'd always loved that about her. He didn't understand how someone so _imperfect_ could be so _perfect_ for him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the light catch the diamonds on her ring and suddenly realized that this—this was where he belonged.

This is what he needed.

This was where he wanted to be.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Thanks so much for doing this Mark!" Lisa said breathlessly. "He just had his bottle, so he should be okay for a few hours."

In the few short hours since Collins and Dan had left, Lisa had called, saying Matt had wanted to go out to dinner and a movie after he got off of work. She had called Mark and asked him to watch Noah for a few hours, which she hoped would be a decision she wouldn't regret.

Mark nodded. "You guys just go and have a good time."

"I'm sorry this is so last minute but—"

Jackie laughed. "Just go before he wakes up," she said. 

"Okay. Thanks again." Lisa rushed out of the loft.

"He's so cute," Jackie laughed. Noah was asleep in his carrier, the baby blanket wrapped around him. "I guess this is practice for when we have our baby, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I think we have a lot to learn."

"I think so too."

Jackie gave Mark a kiss. "How about you go ahead and warm up his baby bottle right now?"

"I guess I could do that, unless you want to something else?" Mark suggested.

Jackie blushed. "You just don't take no for an answer, do you? I don't think your nephew would like it very much if we had sex right in front of him." 

"Nah, Noah would be corrupted."

"Besides we only have a few more celibate weeks left. You can wait," she laughed, taking the bottle from him and sticking it in the bottle warmer Lisa had left with them.

"I don't like being celibate," Mark pouted. "It's not good for the boys."

"You're weird."

"Thanks. But that means you're in love with a weirdo," he grinned at her. 

"I hope that was supposed to be flattering," Jackie laughed. 

"Or course it was," he laughed. "When do you go back to the doctor?"

"Next week," she answered, filling a glass with water. 

Mark nodded and wrapped his arms around and started kissing her neck. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just laughing and kissing back and forth—and then, Noah started crying.

"Guess we're gonna have to get used to that," Mark said, pulling away from her.

Jackie smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are.

____________________________________________________________________


	36. 36

CHAPTER 36

[A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. I've been crazy busy with work lately, so I haven't had a lot of time to actually sit down and write. The next installment of _November_ should be up pretty soon, too. 33 Mari]

_______________________________________________________________________

"Who the hell is Roger on the phone with this early?" Mimi asked, yawning and coming into the living room. She adjusted the AC as she passed and rested her hips on her hands, watching him. 

"I think it's Wes. Or Evan. Or Travis," Mark said. "I can't keep their names straight."

"Already? We just got back three days ago."

Mark shrugged and continued writing on his script. "I don't know."

She passed Roger and walked into the kitchen. "Jackie still asleep?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of orange juice to take her pills with.

Mark nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, she didn't feel good last night. We're going to the doctor today for her 13 week check up, so I'm going to bring it up with her."

"Good idea. She's been looking pretty miserable lately."

"Yeah. Yeah okay. I'll see you. At 1. Okay. Yeah. Bye." Roger hung up the phone and ran his hands through his hair.

"Who was that baby?"

"Wes. Andre called him this morning and said he needed to talk to us, so I have to leave around 1 for a meeting with the rest of the band."

She walked over and handed him his pills and her unfinished glass of orange juice. "Okay." He leaned over and gave her a kiss, running his hands up and down her back.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Get a room."

"Gladly," he grinned, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards the bedroom. "I'm going to have sex with my wife now, and you know what? It's gonna be damn good," he added, slamming the bedroom door.

Mark could hear Mimi giggling already as he walked into the other side of the apartment. He popped his head in the bedroom to find Jackie sound asleep, the blankets pulled up to her chin. 

The phone started ringing and he grabbed it, not wanting to wake her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is Jackie there?"

"Yeah but she's asleep, who's this?

"Harvey."

"Oh hey, it's Mark.

"Hey, could you just tell her to give me a call when she gets the chance? I have to talk to her about something."

"No problem."

"Who was that?" Jackie asked. Mark hung up the phone and kissed her forehead. 

"Harvey. He just wanted you to call him later."

"Oh. Okay," she yawned. 

"Why don't you go back to sleep? You don't have to be up for a few more hours yet. It's only 9," he reminded her. 

"Lay with me?"

Mark nodded and stretched out next to her on the bed. "Sure." 

Before he even had a chance to say anything else to her, she had wrapped her arm around his stomach and had fallen asleep.

___________________________________________________________________

"Roger, are you hungry yet?"

"What? No."

Mimi walked into the living room and crossed her arms over her chest, staring him down. "What's wrong? You've been quiet since you came back from the meeting with the band. Did something happen?"

He looked up at her from the couch, where he was watching music videos on the TV. "No."

Mimi sighed in frustration and sat down on the arm of the couch. "So then what's going on?"

He ran his hands through his hair, which was what he always did when he was upset or angry. "I have to go away for awhile."

She nodded. "Okay, for how long? A few days? Baby, it's okay if it's only a few days. I'll be fine," she smiled at him, running her fingers through his hair.

"It's not just a few days."

"Then how long?"

"A month." He winced, waiting for the explosion. Her pregnancy mood swings had been whacked out lately.

"What?!"

"We're opening for a pretty popular band on the label for the first two weeks around the country, and then we're flying to LA again to start our CD."

"Oh."

Roger stood up and wrapped his arms around her. It was getting a lot harder to do that now, since she only had a few more months to go and he couldn't exactly position himself right anymore to hug her properly. "Mimi, I promise I'll call as much as I can. And if I get any breaks I'll be on the next flight home. And if anything happens, I'll be on the next flight home."

"Fine." She pushed him away and walked back into the kitchen. "Is Lori going with Wes?"

Roger nodded. "Yeah, but she and the baby are meeting us in LA. She's not gonna be touring with us."

"So then let me come with you."

"Mimi no—"  
  


"Why not?" He could tell she was getting easily frustrated. 

"You're pregnant!"

"So!"

"You know you can't fly. Your doctor even told you not to fly during the last trimester."

"Then I'll drive."

Roger cracked a smile at this. He could see how badly she wanted to be with him. "You just can't go, baby. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."

She placed her hands on her hips. "When are you leaving and getting back?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'll be back July 2nd."

"Tomorrow?! I can't believe this. You're not even going to be home for my birthday! You probably won't even be here for 4th of July. You're leaving tomorrow? God Roger, fuck you!" she shouted at him, starting to cry. "I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow. Why tomorrow? Why not over the weekend? You're leaving tomorrow?" she ranted. 

Roger walked over and placed his arms around her again and started rubbing her back. "Shh, it's okay Meems. I promise I won't miss anything. I swear, okay? It's just something I have to do, okay?"

She buried her face in his chest. "Okay," she mumbled. "I guess I'm gonna have to get used to the rock star lifestyle."

He laughed and kissed her. "Yeah, I think I'll have to get used to it too," he joked.

"I'm gonna miss you," she said, wiping at her eyes. "We're gonna miss you."

Roger looked down and grinned. "I know. I'll miss you too."

"God I don't think it's possible for me to cry any fucking more than I have over the past three days."

"So let's go and do something else that doesn't have anything close to dealing with crying. Unless I'm that terrible that you start to cry."

She rolled her eyes at him and sat down at the barstool. "I'm not really in the mood."

"Oh. Alright." He sat down across from her.

Mimi laughed at him. "Don't look so disappointed."

"I'm not."

Mimi giggled and stood up again, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Fine, you win. Let's go then."

He shrugged and stood up. "Hey, your call."

"Good. Because you're not getting any after the baby's born. Might as well make up for it now."

_____________________________________________________________________

"C'mon Jac-kay, dance with me!"

Jackie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Harvey, you're going to fall. And then I'm going to laugh."

"You're a mean one today." He stopped dancing and grinned at her. "I'm graceful. I don't fall."

"Are we done yet? Where are you taking me?"

"Just because you decided to take off for god knows how long, other people have real things today."

Jackie laughed. "Like what, drinking beer and working out?"

"Nah. Well, kind of." He slipped on his sneakers and tossed his ballet shoes into his duffel bag, which was slung across his shoulder. "Let's go."

"Do I get a hint?"

He looked at her before pushing her out the door. "No."

They hailed a cab and headed uptown, and twenty minutes later had stopped in front of a three story industrial building. "Ooh, cryptic. How nice, you took me to a building."

"The surprise is inside, moron," he laughed at her. He grabbed a key from his pocket and opened the hall door, then leading her up two flights of stairs. "Can you make it? You're not that out of shape are you?"

"Shut up," she groaned. "I'll be dancing again before you know it."

He stopped in front of a set of double doors and stuck a different key in. "Ready?"

"_Yes_," she answered impatiently. 

He opened the one side and let her in before him. Jackie found herself in the middle of a dusty and dimly light studio. The walls hadn't been painted, only primed, and a few boxes were scattered throughout the place. Two large windows overlooked the street, and another wall was paneled in floor to ceiling mirrors. "Like it?"

Jackie smiled at him and gave him a hug. "Like it? I _love _it. It's perfect. Did you do all of this? How the hell are you affording it?"

"This place was actual an old exercise studio back in the 70's. It hasn't been used for years, and the owner was just using it as a storage space for his tenants. I convinced him to let me reopen it as a dance studio. He liked the idea, and the rent's pretty cheap. That's why the mirrors are there." He looked around for a minute. "So basically all it needs is a paint job, Windex, lighting, and students."

"This is really great Harvey. Thank you."

"But the best part is, we don't have to start paying rent until we get enrollment going. I already started advertising.

"So I guess we're on our way then, huh?"

"Yeah, we are."

________________________________________________________________

Close to three hours later, Jackie had returned back to an empty loft. "Mark?" she called out. "Hello?"

She walked to their side of the apartment and placed her purse on the couch, kicking off her shoes in the process. "Mimi? Anyone?"

No answer, but instead, the phone started ringing. She reached for the cordless and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, I'm looking to speak with Jacqueline Marie Ferrell."

Jackie walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She was still adjusting to the newly completed loft. Two kitchens, two bathrooms, two of everything, pretty much. "This is she."

"This is Detective Miller with the NYPD. We spoke a few weeks back?"

"Yes, I remember. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Mr. O'Connell's lawyer has contacted us and informed us that Joshua has pleaded guilty to the charges of attempted murder of Mark Cohen. A trial date has been set for the 21st of October, and at this time Mr. Cohen will need to find a lawyer to represent him in court. If he cannot do so, a lawyer will be provided for him at this time."

"Is Josh in jail?"

"No. Mr. O'Connell is out on bail right now, which brings me to my other place of business. You and Mr. Roger Davis have been subpoenaed as witnesses to the crime and will need to be present at the trial."

Mark walked in, loosening his tie.  Jackie gave him a small smile.

"Oh. Is there any possible way this could be settled outside of court?"

Mark's head shot up at her when she mentioned the word court. He came up behind her and stood in front of her as she finished the phone conversation.

"That is something Mr. Cohen and Mr. O'Connell's lawyers would have to discuss separately."

"Okay, thank you."

"Thank you for your time, Miss Ferrell. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. When you reach an attorney, just notify me and I'll set you up with the appropriate phone numbers."

"Who was that?" Mark asked, giving her a quick kiss before taking off his shoes.

Jackie hung up the phone and looked at him. "Detective Miller. Josh pleaded guilty and whatever, so the trial's set for October 21st."

"So you're telling me that I have to go to fucking court?"

"So do I, and Roger too."

"Great."

"He said you need an attorney and that the lawyers would have to decide if they wanted to settle outside of court. Probably, because it was attempted murder, assault."

Mark rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay."

"What's with the attitude?"

"There is no attitude."

Jackie stood up and walked away and sat down on the couch instead, taking her socks off. "I'm sorry what happened, happened okay? I know it's my fault."

Mark sighed and walked over to her. "It's not your fault."

"He's my psycho ex boyfriend."

"Jackie, just drop it."

"Fine." She tossed her socks near the pile of dirty clothes near the door. "Did you call your mother yet?"

"No."

"Well are you going to?"

"I don't know."

Jackie turned around. "Are you planning on telling her? Or should I just show up on her doorstep nine months pregnant? Or better yet with her granddaughter or grandson?"

"Jackie," Mark groaned. "You know how my mom is."

"Bullshit. If your mother doesn't like me, then just fucking tell me. Because whether she likes it or not, I'm still going to be around for a long time coming." She stood up and walked into the bedroom, Mark following.

"It's not like that and you know it."

"No, I don't know it."

"Come on, don't get upset over this. It's not good for you or the baby."

"Right."

"Do you want me to call her right now and invite her over for dinner? Would that make you feel better?" he argued. 

"I don't care what you do Mark."

"Then I'll call her today or something. Maybe we'll have her over for dinner next weekend. Okay?"

Jackie sat up on the bed and shrugged. "That's fine."

Mark kissed her forehead and stretched out next to her. "Okay. Then I will, and don't worry about all the legal shit. I'll call my friend Joanne and she'll take care of it."

"I love you Mark."

He laughed as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I love you too."

______________________________________________________________________

"Do you have enough socks?"

Roger looked up from the bed where he was sitting and smiled at Mimi. "Yes, I have enough socks."

"Are you sure? Because I don't want your feet to get cold," she said, her words mumbled together. 

"I'm sure." He stood up and kissed her, but she pulled away and started crying again instead. "Don't cry."

She shook her head at him. "I can't help it. I still can't believe you're going away for that long."

He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her close towards him. "Yeah. I know, but I found out that the rest of the CD is gonna be recorded right here in the city, so once I get back I won't be going away for awhile. I promise."

"Okay." She looked over his shoulder at the clock. "You've gotta get going. It's almost 4."

He sighed and picked up the suitcase as she opened the door for him. "Yeah."

She followed him out into the living room, where Mark and Jackie were already standing. "You have everything? And you're going to call me when you get there, right?"

Roger nodded and kissed her a few more times. "I will. Don't give Mark a hard time. And call my mom if you need anything. Or Lindsey."

"She won't give me a hard time," Mark joked.

"Yeah, you just wait," Mimi winked at him. 

"Have fun," Jackie added. 

Roger gave Mimi a final kiss before opening the door. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Just call if anything happens, okay? With the baby?"

"Nah, she likes it in my belly. She won't be coming out anytime soon," Mimi laughed. "Go, your cab driver is getting impatient."

"Okay. I'll see you when I get back."

"Yeah."

"God this sucks," Mimi said the minute she saw Roger's cab pull away from the corner.

"He'll be back," Jackie added, bringing her a glass of water from the kitchen. "He's probably feeling just as bad as you are."

"A month is a really long time."

"Not even away for five minutes and you both have separation anxiety," Mark said. "At least it'll be quiet for a few weeks."

"Shut up, Mark."

"Yeah, please shut up. I can't believe Roger left you with two hormonally unstable pregnant women," Jackie laughed.

"I'm shipping you both down to Collins and Dan's for a two week stretch of time if you keep it up."

"Gee thanks," Jackie laughed. "You're supposed to be in love with me."

Mark grinned and kissed her. "More of a reason to send you away."

__________________________________________________________________________


	37. 37

CHAPTER 37

___________________________________________________________

TWO WEEKS LATER

"I'm leaving now!" Mimi shouted, grabbing her purse from the couch.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Jackie asked from the kitchen.

Mimi shook her head. "Nah, it's only a doctor's appointment. I should be back in an hour or two. If Roger calls—"

Mark laughed and rolled his eyes. "We know. Tell him that you love him, that the baby's fine, and that you miss him. Anything else, princess?"

Mimi smiled. "You're my own personal answering machine now, so deal with it. And don't let Roger hear you talking to me like that."

"Oh, I'm scared." Mark made a face and wrapped his arm around Jackie's shoulder. "_Really_."

Jackie shook her head and kissed Mark on the cheek. "Stop it, both of you. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Mimi laughed and opened the loft door. "See ya in a few hours."

"I want pictures of the ultrasound!" Jackie hollered after her as she closed the door.

Mark yawned and rested his head on the kitchen table. "I got no sleep last night. I'm running on empty. I'm 25 years old and I'm being sucked into corporate America."

She ran her fingers through his hair and laughed. "Poor baby. You better catch up on all your sleep right now, because when this baby is born you are so taking over the early morning shifts."

Mark grinned and kissed her. "Mom's coming next weekend," he groaned.

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

"I wish I had."

"Stop it." Jackie stood up and grabbed another cup of coffee. "Mark."

He turned around and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"I'm getting a belly," she said, running her hand over her stomach.

He stood up and placed his hand over hers. "Yeah, but it's a sexy belly."

"Wow, please don't start talking dirty in Mimi and Roger's kitchen," she joked. "We really need to go shopping. Or at least start too."

Mark nodded. "Speaking of shopping, Mo's having Mimi's surprise baby shower the week after 4th of July."

"So what is that? Three weeks from now?"

"Something like that," he shrugged. "When do we get to find out what ours is?"

Jackie checked the calendar. "July 21st. I'll be a little over 21 weeks then."

"I love you," he reminded her, leaning in to give her a kiss.

"Mmm I love you too," she said, her hand drifting down to the waistband of his jeans.

"Hello! I'm here!" Maureen yelled out, dropping her suitcase on the floor.

Mark groaned and kissed Jackie's neck a final time. "She has the worst timing ever."

Mimi placed the ultrasound pictures in her purse and headed towards the subway station, smiling to herself. She only had about eleven more weeks to go until Jaylynn was born, and another week and a half until Roger finally came home. 

She pulled out her metro card and shoved it into the machine and passed through the turn style. It was a tight fit, considering she was seven months pregnant, but she made it. She stepped onto the platform and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting impatiently for the train to arrive.

God, was she hungry. Maybe she'd pick up a burger from the Life on the way back to the loft?

"Excuse me."

Mimi turned around and looked at the man who had drawn her attention. He was about Roger's height and build with red hair. "Yeah?"

He stepped closer to her. "Stay away from Jackie."

Mimi stared at him and took a deep breath. "Excuse me?"

The man grabbed her arm tightly. "Look bitch, just stay away. I already went after her boyfriend—don't make me go after yours as well."

Mimi pulled her arm away roughly. "He's not my boyfriend—he's my husband, asshole. Don't threaten me, you piece of shit. Bastardo. Get the fuck out of here."

"Keep your fucking mouth shut," he warned. "Hubby's not here to protect you now, is he?"

Mimi glared at him. "Don't you—" She was cut off by the man's fist connecting with her jaw. She stumbled back and reached her hand to her lip, tasting blood in the process. "Get your head examined, you fucking nut job. Get over yourself Josh. Jackie doesn't want to be with you."

"She wants to be with that dork instead, huh? Listen to me, cutie pie. You don't know who I know. You already saw what I did to your friend Mark, so I'd watch it if I were you." He grabbed her again and pulled her towards him.

Mimi's eyes darted around the practically empty platform. There were only a few people on the other ends, but it was worth a shot. She could cry wolf right now and somebody was bound to here her. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she screamed out.

Josh slammed her against the wall, her head connecting roughly with the concrete. "Here's a little message from me to you. Tell your friends to watch their backs or you'll get it worse next time." He shoved her roughly to the side and she fell backwards, landing on her side. 

The subway train had just pulled up and people were filing off in front of her eyes. She pulled herself to her feet slowly. "Jesus," she whispered.

"Are you okay?" A tall woman with straight black hair pulled back into a ponytail had approached her.

Mimi nodded and wiped at her lip again. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The woman shook her head. "I'm an ER nurse at the NYU Med Center. I'm just about to start my shift, so why don't you just come and get checked out? Seriously, I'd feel terrible about just leaving you here, and in your condition and everything. You should just really make sure everything's okay."

Mimi shrugged and the woman handed her a tissue. "Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem." The train thundered to a stop and they shuffled on and took seats in an unoccupied corner. "I'm Julia."

"Mimi."

Julia nodded. "How old are you?"

"21 on the 30th. You?"

"28. That's a really nice wedding band," she smiled, looking down at Mimi's hand. "Your husband has great taste."

"Thanks," Mimi smiled. "I just got married about a month ago."

"Oh, congratulations. I remember that newlywed phase. Before the kids and everything," Julia laughed. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

"Believe me I know. Do you have any kids?"

She nodded. "I have two. Ryan, he's five and Diana, she's two. Then there's my husband, Dylan, who's the biggest kid ever."

The train pulled to a stop again and Julia helped Mimi up. "Let's get you checked out."

"That's probably a good idea."

___________________________________________________________________

"Do you have any twos?"

Dan shook his head. "Go fish."

Jackie sighed and pulled a card from the pile. 

"Any fives?" Maureen asked, looking to Collins.

"Nope. Go fish."

"Any threes?" Jackie shook her head at Mark.

"This game is rigged," Dan said, tossing his cards on the table. "Where's Mimi? Shouldn't she have been back by now?"

Mark looked at the clock. "Oh shit! We've been playing for over an hour, and she left about three hours ago."

Collins and Dan glanced at each other. "She did say she was just going to the doctor's, right?"

"Yeah."

Jackie stood up and walked over to the phone and scanned down the list of numbers. "I'll call her OBGYN and see if she's still there." She punched in the numbers and waited for someone to pick up. "Hi, I'm just wondering if Mimi Davis is still at the office? No, there's no problem. I'm sure she just went shopping then. Okay, thanks. Bye."

"And?" Maureen asked.

Jackie shook her head. "She left over two hours ago."

"Maybe she went to go and get something to eat? You know how those cravings can get," Dan joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Mark nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

Collins cleared his throat. "I'm sure she would have called if there was a problem. Let's just give her another hour to get here and if she doesn't, then we'll make a few phone calls and see what's up."

Before anyone could say anything in response, the phone started ringing. Jackie reached for it. "Hello? Yes. Is she okay? All right, we'll be there. Thank you."

Mark and Maureen practically pounced on her. "What? What happened?"

"She's at NYU Med Center. She checked herself in."

"Did they say what happened?" Mark asked, heading for the door.

"No, just that she's in the ER and asked to call here."

Collins nodded. "I'll stay here and try to get a hold of Roger."

"I'll stay too," Dan added.

Maureen grabbed her purse. "I'll get the cab, Pookie."

"Call my cell if you get a hold of Roger," Jackie said, grabbing Mark's hand and taking off out the door with him.

"Will do."

____________________________________________________________________

"Is there anything else I can get you Mimi?" Julia asked, checking Mimi's IV bag.

Mimi shook her head. "No thanks. They should be on—"

Just then, Mark, Jackie, and Maureen rushed into her room, breathlessly.

"Their way," she finished lamely. 

Julia smiled and nodded, leaving the room with Mimi's chart. "Just buzz me if you need anything."

"Are you okay Meems?" Mark asked. 

"What the hell happened?" Maureen asked, taking in Mimi's appearance.

Mimi blew out a long breath of air. "Jackie, you might want to sit down for this."

Jackie raised an eyebrow at her and nodded. "Okay." She sat down on the edge of Mimi's bed.

"I was waiting for the train home, from my doctor's appointment, and out of nowhere Josh—"

"Josh?" Jackie said angrily. 

Mimi nodded. "He came out of nowhere, Jac, and threatened me a few times. Punched me in my jaw and slammed me against the wall—"

"Oh my god," Maureen voiced. "This guy is a fucking lunatic!"

"No shit," Mark said sarcastically. "I guess the thought of life in prison doesn't phase him."

"I met a nurse, Julia, at the subway station, and she convinced me to come here without heading home because of the baby, but the doctor came in and checked everything—hooked me up to every fetal monitor possible—and I'm fine and the baby's fine. My jaw's bruised, and I have a little bit of a concussion, but I'm okay. They're holding me until the get some of the results back from the labs."

Mark started pacing around the room. "We need to get on the phone with the cops. This guy is supposed to be out on bail—he shouldn't be pulling shit like this. He probably was stalking you—or all of us."

"I really don't want to think about that," Jackie sighed. "I'm so sorry Mimi. I had no idea. I'm just causing trouble for everyone lately."

Mimi shook her head. "I just want to know why the fuck there was no restraining order placed on this guy."

Mark came over and wrapped his arms around Jackie's waist. "I don't know."

Jackie's phone started ringing, and Mark dug it out of his pocket, where it had ended up. "Hello? Yeah. She's fine. Tell him she's fine. Jesus, tell him to stop yelling. Okay. Five minutes. Got it."

Mimi looked up. "Who was that?"

Mark turned off the phone and shoved it back in his pocket. "Collins. Roger came home early to surprise you—he got the weekend off, and Collins told him that you were here and he started flipping out, naturally. The two of them and Dan are about two blocks away."

Jackie looked up at Mark and started crying. "He's gonna kill me, oh my god, he's gonna kill me, because it's my fault. Jesus Mark, he's gonna kill me," she said hysterically. 

Mark rubbed her back and shook his head. "No he's not. I promise."

Mimi laughed and squeezed Jackie's hand. "Nobody's killing anyone here. Roger's just upset."

_________________________________________________________________

"You swear she's okay, Collins?"

Collins looked at Dan and sighed. "The doctor said she's okay." The walked through the double doors and approached the front desk.

"Can I help you?"

"Mimi Davis?" Roger asked, tapping his fingers impatiently against the admit desk.

The nurse looked at the board behind her and pointed to the left. "Exam Three."

Roger brushed past the nurse, Collins and Dan hot on his heels. When he entered Mimi's room, Mark and Jackie were sitting in two chairs in the corner and Mimi was propped up, drinking a cup of water and watching the TV. "Hey," she greeted him.

Mark stood up automatically, but Jackie remained in her seat, staring at her hands. "Roger, we—"

Roger ignored him and walked to Mimi's bedside. "Hey," he replied softly, planting a kiss on her forehead and running his other hand over her stomach. "What happened?" He pressed his fingers against her jaw and she winced slightly.

"Josh." Mark said quietly.

"That bastard did this?" Roger said, angrily slamming his fist against the nightstand. Nothing was said for a few minutes. Roger sat on the edge of Mimi's bed and gripped her hand, Dan and Collins slipped away to the cafeteria, and Mark and Jackie resumed their conversation.

Out of nowhere, Roger spoke again. "You—" he pointed at Jackie. "Get the fuck out of the apartment."

Mimi rubbed his arm gently. "Rog, I'm okay—"

"What is it gonna take for you to realize that this guy is dangerous? He fucking shot Mark, and now he attacked Mimi! He's after **you**, and he'll take down whoever the hell is in the way. Get out. Mimi's not going home until you're out of the loft."

Mark stood up in front of Jackie and glared at Roger. "Stop talking out of your ass. You're not kicking anyone out." He looked back at her. "No one is going anywhere."

Roger shook his head. "Then you get out with her."

Mark's mouth dropped open. "You don't make the fucking rules around here. We fucking split the rent. That was the deal from the beginning when you moved in."

"I don't give a shit! Her psycho boyfriend is running around New York City stalking us. He shot you! He attacked her! Mimi—who's fucking pregnant!" Roger shouted at him, dropping Mimi's hand and advancing towards him.

"Jackie's pregnant too!" Mark argued back at him. "You're not the only one who's trying to be protective here!"

Roger shook his head once again. "That's not the point!"

"Then what is it?"

"She's been trouble the fucking second she walked through the door! She's got more baggage than I do, and Christ, that's saying something. She's a fucking drama queen. Don't you get it Mark? She's been using you. I wouldn't even be surprised if that kid she claims she's pregnant with is Josh's—or someone else's," he finished bitterly.

Jackie looked like she had been slapped. She stood up and grabbed her purse, walking out of the room without saying a word to anyone. 

"Jackie—" Mark called after her. "Fuck you Roger. _Fuck. You._"

Julia poked her head in the room again. "Is there a problem in here?" she asked politely.

Mark shrugged. "No, we're done now."

Julia slipped out, and Mark turned back to face Roger. "Enjoy your rich and famous lifestyle. You always thought you were better than everyone else, anyway." He slipped out of the door and down the hall.

Roger frustratedly ran his hand through his hair and sat back down on Mimi's bed. "Why am I such an asshole?"

Mimi smiled sympathetically and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You're not an asshole. You're just a little hot tempered," she said softly. "But sometimes you need to be."

"It's just that I'm really pissed about this guy. I don't understand why he won't just give it up. He's facing a good twenty to thirty years in jail. You'd think that would be enough." He wrapped his arm around Mimi and pulled her close.

"That's exactly what Mark said. I don't know, there's not much else we can do. I filed the report with the police."

"Yeah." He kissed her. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"I know," she said, stroking his hair. "Everyone just needs to calm down."

Julia walked back in again with Mimi's chart. "I'm really sorry to bother you and your husband, Mimi, but Dr. Carraway just discharged you. He just said to take it easy for the next few days and stay off your feet. And also to let your OB/GYN know what's going on."

"Thanks Julia," Mimi smiled in her direction. "You hear that baby? Everything's okay. Let's just go home and sit around for the rest of the night."

Roger nodded and handed her the tank top and loose cotton skirt she had worn that day from the chair. "I love you Mimi. You know that right?"

She nodded and kissed him. "I know."

_______________________________________________________________________

"One scoop or two?"

Mimi looked up from the couch, where she was flipping through a magazine with one hand and icing her jaw with the other. "Two. With chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles."

Roger laughed, brought her the bowl and sat down next to her. "How's that look?"

  
Mimi took the ice away and moved her head to the side so he could see. "I don't know. You tell me."

"It looks better. Not as swollen."

She shrugged and took a spoonful of ice cream and shoved it in her mouth. "Oh my god, this is so good. Here, have some."

He looked down and made a face. "I don't like peanut butter."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Peanut butter is the best shit ever. Here." Roger opened his mouth and swallowed the spoonful of ice cream.

"It's okay," he grinned at her.

"I will have you hooked on peanut butter everything by next week," she laughed, propping her feet up in his lap.

"When did your feet get so swollen?" he asked, rubbing her ankles. 

She shrugged. "I don't know. Around the same time my back started hurting."

He laughed and handed the ice cream bowl back to her. "We should work on the nursery tomorrow."

"Yeah. It's not even painted yet, and we have to run out and get a ton of things."

"So we're going with pink?"

Mimi shook her head. "White walls with light pink trim. Then some sort of border. I don't know, let's think about it."

"Yeah."

She placed the bowl back on the coffee table and looked at him. "So what were you doing home early?"

He shrugged and grinned. "We were pretty much wrapped up in LA, so I took an early flight home. I didn't want to miss your birthday or anything, and I wanted to surprise you. I just have to go to the studio with the band on Monday and Tuesday and we should be finished."

"Good," she said. "Because I really missed you."

"I missed you too. You have no idea. I think the fact that Wes had his wife there really made me regret not taking you with me."

"Yeah."

"I feel really bad about Mark and Jackie."

Mimi nodded. "So let's go to bed and you can talk to them in the morning? They're already back—on their side of the apartment."

"When?"

"They both slipped in when you were in the shower. They haven't come out since."

Roger nodded and helped her up and into their bedroom. "I'm such a shitty friend."

"No, you're not. Things are just really crazy right now, that's all," she reminded him as she climbed into bed. He stripped down to his boxers and slipped in, wrapping his arms around her.

"Night," he yawned, turning off the lamp.

"Night baby. I love you."

"Love you too."

_________________________________________________________________

"Jac? You almost done in there?" Mark called over to her. He was lying under the sheets propped up on one elbow.

"Yeah," she called over. She came out and pulled her blonde hair up into a messy twist and set the glass of water she had been drinking out of on the nightstand. "I'm so uncomfortable."

He looked at her and smiled. The tank top she was wearing stretched against her small stomach that she had gained over the past four months. She was wearing a pair of his old blue checked boxers, which now fit a lot more snugly then they did before she had found out she was pregnant. "Do you want a pair of my pajama pants instead?"

She shook her head and climbed in next to him. "Nah, I'll be too hot. Did you touch the AC?"

"Nope. It's set on 70."

"God it's hot in here." She rested her head on his chest and he started playing with her hair.

"You're still upset about what happened before aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, kind of. Roger really went off on me."

"He shouldn't have done that."

"Yeah."

Mark looked at her and kissed her. "It'll be okay, I promise. I'll talk to him."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she grumbled, kicking the sheets off of her. "I'm so fucking hot Mark."

"I'm sorry," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Do you want something?"

"I'm buying a fan tomorrow."

"Whatever you want," he laughed. "Want to go in the morning?"

"Oh yeah, you're not working. I don't care."

"Okay. Well—night then."

She kissed him and snuggled into him again. "G'night."

__________________________________________________________________________


	38. 38

CHAPTER 38

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. It's great to know that people still read this after all this time. Please keep reviewing, even if it's just to say the littlest thing. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. 33 Mari

Just a few reminders about some characters and names mentioned:

Harvey: April's older brother. Good friends with Jackie, also is a ballet dancer, which is how they met.

Natalie: Jackie's late best friend and fiancée of Harvey. She was killed in a car crash towards the beginning of the story.

Matt: Lisa's boyfriend, and father of their baby, Noah.

Lisa: Mark's younger sister.

Dan: boyfriend of Collins. Met him through the Life Support group. He's an interior designer that recently renovated the loft for Roger and Mark.

I think that covers about everyone. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

_________________________________________________________________

"Rog?"

He stuck his head out of the baby's room. "What?" he grumbled.

"I just wanted to know how it was going in there, and if you wanted something to eat," Mimi asked, flipping her curls over her shoulder.

He shrugged. "It's going. Slowly. But it's going. I have two of the four walls painted, and part of the ceiling.

She smiled at him and continued eating her salad. "Good."

"Shouldn't you be eating more than that?"

She shrugged. "I'm not really that hungry. I'll eat more later."

The loft door opened and Mark walked in. He smiled at Mimi and completely ignored Roger before crossing to the other side and slamming the door behind him.

Roger rolled his eyes and retreated back into the baby's room. Mimi hopped off the barstool and walked over to him, frowning. "Come on Rog—it's been a week. One of you has to break sooner or later."

He picked up the paint roller and started moving it up and down over the wall. "No we don't."

"You're both acting like a bunch of two year olds. You two are supposed best friends. Don't let something like this fuck up your friendship."

"We're not fucking anything up," he said angrily.

"Fine." She walked back into the kitchen and started picking at her salad again. " Last week when we went out for my birthday you two wouldn't even look at the other."

"That was last week."

"That's not my point. C'mon, Collins and Dan invited us over for the barbeque tonight. Are you planning on talking to each other then?"

"No."

"Then just go to the bar then, because I'm not putting up with you being a stubborn asshole the whole time we're there."

"Fine."

 Then I'm going downstairs by myself," she said angrily.

Roger shrugged and leaned against the doorframe. "Then go."

"I am." She stood up and left the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

  
________________________________________________________________________

The doorbell to Collins' apartment buzzed two minutes later.

"Collins, can you get that?" Dan asked. He pulled the fridge open and stacked two cases of beer on top of each other.

"I'll get it!" Lisa hollered, coming out of the spare bedroom with Noah propped up against her hip. 

Dan smiled at her. "Thanks honey. Is he still slaving over that exam?"

Lisa nodded and passed Noah over to Dan. "Go to Uncle Dan, okay sweetie?" she said to the baby, kissing him on the top of his head. Noah cooed contentedly. "Goddamn that kid has it made. And to answer your question, he finished grading the test and now he's making up a new one for next week."

Dan groaned and starting rocking the baby back and forth. "He's going to wear himself out. I told him yesterday that he should take some time off."

Lisa headed down the hallway. "Yeah, but what can you do? Matt works just as much."

"True." She pulled open the door and Mimi huffily walked in without saying anything and sat down at the kitchen table. "Well hello to you too," Lisa joked.

"What did he do now honey?" Dan asked. He placed Noah, who had fallen asleep, back in his carrier and tucked the blanket in around him.

"It's not a matter of what he did, it's a matter of him being a dickhead."

Collins came out into the kitchen and yawned. "Tell me he's still not mad at Jackie and Mark?"

Mimi nodded. "He's still mad. They're both still mad. I don't know, you know how they are."

"Really stubborn," Dan added.

"And Mark gets pouty. We used to fight all the time when I was little, and he used to pout, just like this." Lisa demonstrated the face, causing Collins and Dan to laugh.

"I've definitely seen the pouty face more times in the last week compared to two years I've known him." Mimi sat up some in the chair.

"But we're all still meeting up on the roof in a little while, right? Because I did not just go to the store and buy a shitload of food to have it go to waste while Mark and Roger resolve their soap opera drama," Dan warned, pointing to the cabinets. "Did you light the grill?" he asked Collins.

Collins sheepishly shook his head. "You know, I was just about to go and do that—"

"Uh huh. Sure," Dan laughed, giving him a quick kiss as he passed. 

Mimi smiled at the two of them. Dan reminded her so much of Angel it hurt sometimes. Just the way he acted, smiled, laughed—the little things.

"Are we going to need to send out a search and rescue mission for Mark? I don't know how long it takes to get rolls, mustard, and ice from the Food Emporium," Dan added.

Lisa laughed and started heating a bottle in the bottle warmer for Noah. "Don't send him shopping ever. He tries to pull all that health food crap on you."

 "I'm gonna head back upstairs and deal with the prince," Mimi grinned. "I'll see you guys in a little bit for the barbeque. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze a nap in there."

"I'll go upstairs with you. See what my whiny brother is up to when he gets back," Lisa smiled. "Make Roger rub your back and feet. Tell him he owes you."

"Oh believe me, he owes me more than that."

Dan shook his head and slammed a tray of ice cubes on the counter. "Didn't need to know that part."

____________________________________________________________

"You should name the baby Axel if it's a boy."

Jackie looked over at Harvey and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Axel Ferrell. I can just see it now, him telling all the kids in his preschool that Mommy named him after Axel Rose from Guns 'N Roses," she laughed.

Harvey shrugged and lit a cigarette. "So? He can tell them that Uncle Harvey made his mommy do it. Welcome to the jungle!"

"That's so bad for you," Jackie said, taking the cigarette from him. Instead, she took a drag from it.

"Exactly. Which is why you just picked up my bad habit. You're pregnant, I forbid you to smoke, drink, or have lots of loud, headboard banging sex. No crack, no dope, no visits to the ganja man," he grinned.

Jackie raised an eyebrow at him and blew the smoke out in his face before handed the cigarette back to him. "I get my fair share of headboard banging sex, thank you." She picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels.

"Yeah, well so do I," he cracked, stealing the remote from her. Jackie turned her head and stared at him.

"What?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"Who are you getting some from?" 

"I said no one. Nothing," he emphasized, staring at the TV screen. "I shouldn't have said anything—it slipped out."

Jackie shoved her hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Hah," she announced, waving it in his face before hopping over the back of the couch.

"Jac no! Seriously please! And don't jump like that, I don't want you to get hurt."

Jackie walked over to the windowsill and sat on the edge of it, tapping through Harvey's phone book on his cell with her fingers. "Your mom, my cell, the loft, my old apartment, blah blah, blah blah…Gina?" she grinned. "Who's Gina?

"She's just…kind of someone I've been seeing," he said quietly. "You think it's too soon, don't you? After Natalie and everything?"

Jackie shook her head and sat back down next to him. "Oh my god, Harvey, no! Natalie would have wanted you to move on. It's been almost six months already, and she would have wanted you to find someone to make you happy. She wouldn't want to see you moping in a corner anymore," she smiled. "So tell me about Gina."

"She's a kindergarten teacher. 24 years old, grew up in Baltimore, met her through my cousin Craig at this party," he mumbled.

"So when do I get to meet her?"

Harvey shrugged and took the phone back from her. "I don't know. Whenever."

"You should bring her to the barbeque tonight. Celebrate the 4th of July with a bang—literally."

Harvey grinned. "I'll call her when I get home. What time is it?"

"Like 6 ish? On the roof of the building. Take the fire escape in the back," she reminded him.

"You sure Dan and Collins won't mind?"

"Nah. Dan overdid it with food, so there's more than enough to go around."

Harvey stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back then. Tell Mark I said hi."

"Bye," Jackie said cheerfully, pulling the fleece blanket on the back of the couch over her legs. 

Five minutes later, the door reopened and Lisa entered, toting Noah in his carrier. "Hey."

"Hey," Jackie greeted. "Let me see this little man of yours." Lisa sat down and picked up Noah and started feeding him his bottle. "He's gotten so big." As Lisa shifted Noah over in her arms, the underside of her right arm was exposed—and so were lines that resembled track marks. Bruises formed at the edges. "Lisa, what's on your arm?"

Lisa looked down and backs up at Jackie. "It's not what you think. Roger thinks that it is, but it's not."

Jackie nodded and looked back down at her arm. "Okay."

"I just—I need to talk to Mark about it. When Noah was born, I was really sick, and after he was born, I found out from my doctor that one of my kidneys was in failure, because of the pregnancy. So I've been on dialysis on and off for three years—even before I was pregnant."

"Jesus. Does Mark know? Do your parents know? Does Matt know?" Jackie asked. "Sorry, I'm asking too many questions."

"Mark doesn't know, he was in the city when things started to get bad. My parents know, because they've been the ones to take me back and forth to the hospital for dialysis and everything. Matt knows, because he's gone with me to all the appointments after Noah was born. It's not just because of Noah—I've been having problems with my kidneys even before he was born. But the doctors are worried that my other kidney is going to start failing—so I've been placed on a donor list," she added. "I'm 18 years old, isn't it way too soon for me to be worrying about not waking up one day and dying on everyone?"

Jackie smiled sadly at her. "So do you need a donor?"

"Basically yes. I'm not going to shit myself by saying that I'm going to pull through with an already failed kidney and one halfway there. That's why there are the marks on my arm—that's why I showed up that day at the loft so sick because I hadn't gone to dialysis for over a week. That's probably part of the reason why I had Noah so early." She started burping the baby. "I'm not some junkie with a habit—it's because of the dialysis."

"I'm really sorry."

Lisa laid Noah back down in his carrier and nodded. "So am I."

Mark walked in with three bags of grocery and a newspaper in between his teeth. "Hey."

"Hey. Thought the party was upstairs," he grinned, giving Jackie a kiss. "You okay, Lisa?"

She shrugged. "I'm fine. I'll see you both upstairs then with Matt. Bye," she added quietly, slipping out through the door with the baby.

"She okay?" he asked. He set the groceries down on the counter before taking a seat next to Jackie.

"Yeah. She needs to talk to you about something though."

"Oh. Okay. Should we head up then?"

Jackie nodded and turned off the TV. Mark reached for her hand and she linked hers through it as he led her out of the apartment.

_________________________________________________________________

Roger walked into his bedroom, taking off his paint-splattered shirt off in the process. It had taken him about five hours, but he had gotten the walls and trim painted in the baby's room. Nice way to spend the 4th of July. 

Mimi was asleep on the bed, her one hand draped over her stomach and the other tucked under her chin. He didn't even remember hearing her come back into the apartment after they had fought.

Roger changed into another shirt and kneeled on the side of the bed, right near her ear. It was a little after 6, and he figured that if they didn't get up to the roof first, the herd would come down and personally get them. "Mimi," he whispered into her ear. "Baby it's time to wake up."

"Shut up. No it's not," she answered, half asleep. Roger smiled and started kissing her neck. 

"Mimi it's time to party," he laughed.

She rolled onto her back and looked over at him. "Mimi doesn't want to party when her back is killing her and her feet are swollen. Especially when the kid is giving her a massive case of heartburn right now."

"Why is Mimi talking in the third person?" he laughed, helping her sit up.

"Because I want to be a grumpy bitch to you right now. Why can't you be pregnant?" she whined, wining her legs over the side of the bed and standing up.

"I'm sorry," he laughed again. They left the apartment and started climbing the fire escape at the end of the floor, with a lot of complaint from Mimi. 

"Hey guys," Dan greeted. He and Collins were sitting in lawn chairs next to Mark, who had Jackie sitting on his lap.

"Hey," Mimi said, sitting at the old picnic table that had been mysteriously moved to the roof since Mr. Grey first bought the building. Roger and Mark stared at each other for a quick second before Roger walked to the opposite end of the roof to talk to Matt and Lisa, who were playing with Noah.

Maureen walked over to the picnic table and sat down next to Mimi. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Uncomfortable, but okay. I've got the feet up in my ribs, so I'm good to go," she answered, grabbing a handful of chips from one of the plastic bowls. Maureen took a sip of her beer and for the first time since February, Mimi noticed that a ring was missing from a very important finger. "Mo?"

Maureen looked at her. "Yeah Meems?"

"Where's your engagement ring?"

Maureen looked down and blushed. "Oh. Chad and I broke everything off last week. I just haven't told anyone anything yet."

"I'm really sorry," Mimi apologized, looking down at her own wedding band. "What happened?"

"It just wasn't working out. I was just tired of traveling back and forth from LA to the city, and even when I was in LA, we just never had time for each other. And I really missed it here," she said. "I missed everyone here. I talked to Benny about my apartment. I'm getting the piece of shit back. But that piece of shit is home."

"Yeah. I missed you too. It's about time you moved back in." Mimi smiled and grabbed another handful of chips.

"I need a one night stand," Maureen joked. 

Mimi shrugged and looked over at the edge of the fire escape. Harvey had just come up the stairs—alone—and was shifting his weight uncomfortably. "Well, I'm not one to play matchmaker, but Harvey over there looks pretty single. According to Jackie, he was supposed to be bringing someone with him, but it doesn't look like that anymore."

Maureen smiled in his direction. Harvey caught her glance and smiled back at her. "I'm on the prowl," she laughed, standing up and walking in his direction.

Roger walked back over and rested his hands on Mimi's shoulders and kissed her. "Hey. How do you feel?"

"I wish everyone would stop asking me that," she answered pathetically. "I feel okay."

"Good," he grinned. "What's Maureen doing with Harvey?"

Mimi shrugged. "She and Chad broke off their engagement."

"So she's trying to score?" Roger didn't particularly like the guy, but he couldn't hold it against Mo. She deserved someone just as much as he deserved Mimi—or Mark deserved Jackie.

"I don't know. I think she just needs someone to talk to. Speaking of someone to talk to, please tell me you and Mark have patched things up?" she asked, leaning back against him.

Roger sighed and shook his head. "I'll talk to him later."

"Okay." 

Roger took a sip of his beer and set it on the table. "It sucks that you're legal and can't even drink," he laughed.

"Oh ha ha, you're funny. And stop trying to change the subject," she warned.

"You got it, Mrs. Davis."

"I feel like an old maid now. Mrs. Davis," she groaned. "I feel old."

Roger laughed at her again. "You're 21 years old. I wish I could be 21 again. I'm pushing 27, I'm gonna be 30 in 3 years. Talk about feeling old, I'm gonna have gray hair before I know it."

"I'll bleach your hair for you baby if it makes you feel better," she giggled. 

"Yeah yeah. You say that now."

___________________________________________________________________

"Harvey and Maureen seem to be hitting it off pretty well," Mark observed. He was stretched out on a blanket, watching the fireworks. Jackie had her head resting on his chest and Mark's arm was positioned around her waist. Word had traveled fast about Maureen's broken engagement to Chad. Even Dan had threatened to "kick the bastard's ass" for an undisclosed reason.

"Yeah, they are. He was supposed to bring this girl here tonight—Gina—but he told me that things weren't really working out with her, either. I just hope he's not looking for another Natalie, because he's never going to find that again."

"Yeah, that's true," Mark said. 

Jackie looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything's okay," he said, smiling to reassure her. 

"Okay."

He shifted over onto his side, and she adjusted herself so that she was still pressed against him. "Jackie?"

"What?" she asked. "Why'd you move?"

Mark looked down at her and smiled again. He didn't know what the hell he had done to deserve her. Sure, she had come with her fair share of baggage, and she was far from perfect, but who was perfect these days? No one. He loved some many things about her—the way her hair looked when it fell in her face, her laugh, and her Australian accent—just everything about her. He loved her, and that was all that mattered. After his bout with Maureen, he had completely shut out the world of dating, and then when he wasn't even looking, Jackie had walked in. She hadn't tried to change him, but she loved him for who he was—just like he loved her. And at the end of the day, that was all that mattered. 

"Jackie—"

She looked at him again. "What Mark?" Another firework exploded in the background.

"Will you, um—"

"Yeah?" she laughed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. 

"Jacqueline Marie Ferrell will you marry me?" he said in one long, drawn out sentenced. He hoped she heard him the first time through all this mumbling, because he sure as hell didn't think he could do it again.

She looked shocked to say the least. He pulled the black box out of his pocket and opened it, taking out a small princess cut diamond ring. "I—yeah, I will. Yes," she laughed. He slid the ring on her finger. "That was random and spontaneous."

"Yeah," he grinned as he kissed her. "I guess it was. I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled, resting her head on his chest again. She raised her hand in front of her face and looked at the ring. "It's really beautiful, Mark."

"That's what the jeweler said too," he teased as she playfully shoved his shoulder.

"Classy."

"I know."

He looked over at Mimi and Roger, who were sitting together in a lawn chair. Mimi was curled up against Roger and he had his arms wrapped around her waist, whispering in her ear. She smiled every so often and kissed him. "Do you think we could keep it under wraps for a few days? Until I get this thing resolved with Roger?"

She nodded and smiled. "Sure. Talk to him tomorrow morning. I'll hold off on telling Harvey too." She glanced back at the picnic table. Harvey and Maureen were sitting next to each other, making idle conversation. Collins and Dan were sitting together, their hands linked together. Matt had his arm around Lisa, who was rocking Noah back to sleep. 

"Everything fits, Mark," she said softly.

"What?"

"Everyone's really happy for once. That's the way it should be," she smiled at him.

"Yeah. That's definitely the way it should be."

____________________________________________________________________


	39. 39

CHAPTER 39

A/N: Thanks for all of the great reviewers. You guys rock, if you didn't know that already.

Just as a heads up, this story is at about the halfway point now, maybe a little before the halfway point. In case you haven't noticed, things have started to slowly speed up. We jumped from May (the wedding) to the beginning of July in only a few chapters. Not all chapters will be this way, however. It just depends on what's going on in their lives. There wasn't much going on in June, so I skipped that month. It just depends. 

I know some of you are anxious about the birth of Mimi's baby, and yes, that will be coming up very soon. Within the next two to three chapters, I'd say. It will most likely be presented in two chapters, although I'm not really sure right now. So look out for that, and thanks for your patience!

I have a feeling I'm going to start getting asked when this will all be wrapped up, and I can't really give you a good estimation right now. I still have to work in and chronicle a few things, and eventually tie that in with how the story started. I'll keep you all posted.

Please keep reviewing; I really love to read what you all think. 3333 Mari

__________________________________________________________________

**JULY 5th**

Roger groggily sat up in bed, checking the alarm clock in the process. He glanced over and kissed Mimi on the cheek before standing up. It was a little after noon, and he was starting to notice that the longer she was pregnant, the more hours she slept during the day. One or two power naps were considered normal by now. 

He yawned and walked out into the kitchen. Mark was sitting at the island, pulling papers out of a folder. Maureen was sound asleep at one end of the couch, and Harvey at the other end. He would have thought it to be weird—but since they all hadn't gotten back to the apartment from their antics on the roof until after 1, he didn't really care much.

He grabbed a coffee mug from the rack and filled it. "Hey."

Mark looked back at him. "Hey. Sleep okay?"

Roger nodded. "Yeah. Just need some Tylenol and I'll be fine."

Mark tossed him the bottle. "I needed some myself," he smiled. 

"Yeah. Jackie's still sleeping?"

"Yeah. She should be up soon though." He turned back to the file he was working on. Roger sensed that was the end of the conversation and he took a sip of coffee. He figured that since they were at least being civil towards each other, now would be a good time to get everything out in the open.

"Hey Mark?"

"Yup?"

"I just wanted to apologize for saying those things to you and Jackie that day in the hospital. Those were—uh, some real shitty things for me to say, and I'm sorry for it. You guys didn't deserve that."

Mark turned around again. "It's okay. I said things to you that I didn't mean either. But I'd appreciate it if you'd talk to Jackie when she gets up—she was the one that got the full force of it," he grinned. 

"Yeah. I'll do that." He poured some sugar into his coffee. "So we're okay?"

Mark nodded. "Why the hell wouldn't we be? I'm gonna need a best man for my wedding anyway."

"Your WHAT?" Roger said loudly. 

"Roger please be quiet. My head is killing me," Maureen said, half asleep. She turned over and faced the back of the couch, pulling the blanket up over her head and off of Harvey.

"Why the hell are you on my couch anyway?"

"Shh. Shush," she said quietly before falling back asleep.

Roger rolled his eyes and turned back to Mark. "So what's this about a wedding? When did this happen?"

Mark grinned. "I proposed to Jackie last night."

"You were fucking quiet about it."

"Yeah, well it was during the fireworks. I wasn't about to shout from the rooftop and do a whole song and dance routine," he laughed.

"You really are a dork. Jesus Christ," Roger added, grinning. "So when is this all happening?"

"Not until after the baby's born. Jackie wants to wait until she's at least gotten the baby settled into some kind of routine. Even with the holidays and everything, she wants to wait. We probably won't get married until the spring, which is fine by me. I don't want her to feel like she has to drop everything and get married tomorrow. I know she wants her parents and her friends to fly up from Sydney, so we have to give them advance notice for that. Plus I haven't even told my mom about the baby—or the engagement yet. And she hasn't told her family either."

"Good luck there," he laughed. "Your mom is psycho."

"Gee thanks."

"Welcome. What do you say about us all driving down to Wildwood tonight?"

Mark shrugged. "Jersey? That's a good three hours away. Why?"

"Wes left a message on my answering machine last night and said that he had set up a last minute gig for some of the beachgoers at this pretty popular club and restaurant on a pier. It starts at 10, and her reserved a block of hotel rooms at a place on the beach. So basically, if we—meaning you, Jackie, Mimi, Maureen, Harvey, Collins, Dan, and whoever else go—we can do our thing tonight and hit the beach in the AM."

"I don't care. Don't have anything better to do, and I haven't been to the beach in awhile. Want me to call and find out who can go and who can't?"

Roger nodded. "Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna go and see if Mimi's up yet."

"Yup."

He walked past the couch and threw a pillow at Maureen. "And get those two grumps off my couch."

"Hey!" Maureen screeched, throwing the pillow at the back of Roger's head.

_____________________________________________________________________

Roger walked into their bedroom and stretched out next to Mimi. She was still asleep, so he started rubbing her back in slow circles. "Mimi."

"Mmm that feels good." She kissed him and checked the alarm clock. "Jesus, it's already one. Why'd you let me sleep this long?"

"You looked tired. I didn't want to wake you," he grinned.

She sat up a little and leaned against him. "I probably would have slept through dinner if you didn't wake me. What's up?"

"What do you say about heading down to Wildwood tonight?"

She laughed and buried her face in his chest. "And I'm supposed to wear a bikini?"

"If you want, baby. You're still beautiful."

She frowned at him. "Stop trying to suck up to me."

"I'm not. The reason we'd be going is because Andre set up a last minute gig at this place on the pier and told Wes about it, who called me and left a message on the answering machine. It starts at 10, so we'd need to leave by 5 latest to get there with shore traffic. Plus we have to check into the hotel."

"Hotel?"

He nodded and started rubbing her back again. "Wes got a block of hotel rooms on a place right on the beach. So we go to the gig tonight and we can hit the beach in the morning. You can get a tan?" he suggested.

"Oh yeah. Just what everyone needs to see. A large moose sunbathing on the beach. Great."

Roger laughed and kissed her neck. "You're not a moose, babe."

"Glad you think so." She stood up unsteadily and then sat back down. The phone started ringing, and she reached for it before Roger could. 

"Hello? Oh hi. I'm doing okay, thanks. Yeah, the baby's fine." She reached over and pulled a few pairs of clean boxers out of the drawer and threw them at Roger. He caught them and grinned at her.  "He's fine. Yeah. Well we're heading down to Wildwood tonight for a gig of Roger's, but yeah, we should be home tomorrow night. Seven sounds fine. No, you really don't have to do that. Okay. I'll see you then Sandra. Okay, bye." She hung up the phone. She grabbed her glasses, put them on, and smiled at Roger.

"You just discussed me with my mother. Traitor," he joked.  He leaned over and gave her a kiss before pulling away and digging his bathing suit out of the bottom dresser drawer.

"She just asked how you were. And I told her. She and your dad are driving down here for dinner tomorrow night. She said she's been holding onto the professional wedding pictures forever and that she had a few things for us."

Roger nodded and tossed two pairs of socks into the bag. "Fine. What time?"

"Like around 7. This way we can spend most of the day at the beach and still have enough time to drive home and for me to cook something decent. No Mark and no Jackie. Just you, me, and your parents."

"Damn. Mark's always the icebreaker anyway," he laughed. 

"You're a big boy now. I'm sure you can handle your parents for dinner." She stood up again and pulled a few things out of their dresser and set it on the bed. 

Roger smirked at her and grabbed her around her waist. "Considering I'm a big boy now, you know what big boys like to do?"

Mimi laughed and pinched his cheeks. "You are so cute. No, what do big boys like to do?"

He grinned and whispered in her ear. Mimi blushed and smacked his arm. "What? You can't knock a guy for trying."

"You're not gonna get knocked at all if you keep it up. And we don't have any whipped cream."

He shrugged and pulled her onto his lap. "So? We could go and get some."

She squirmed out of his arms. "No."

"Please?"

"No!" she laughed. 

"Okay okay," he said, pulling her back down on his lap. "Marky's getting married."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's what I said. He popped the question to Jackie last night."

Mimi smiled. "I knew it would happen sooner or later."

"You did? I didn't think he was that serious about her."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well you're a guy. You don't comprehend these relationship tactics very well."

"This isn't football. I married you, didn't I?" he said, kissing her. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Shut up, Roger."

"I love you too baby."

"You're a pain in the ass."

"But you love me for it. Hah, I win!" he yelled out, tickling her.

"Roger don't! My ribs hurt already!"

____________________________________________________________________

"Jac, I got the water from the fridge." Mark grabbed their overnight bag and opened the loft door, jingling the keys in his pocket.

Jackie walked down the hall, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail. "Okay good."

"Collins and Dan aren't going."

Jackie frowned and grabbed her purse from the couch. "Why not?"

"Collins has a class tomorrow morning and Dan wants to finish up some sketches. Maureen and Harvey are waiting in the car, so we're going with them. Roger and Mimi are borrowing Dan's car."

"What about your sister and Matt?"

"She dropped off Noah at my mom's a little while ago and they're just going to meet us down there. Roger gave Matt directions to the place."

Jackie grabbed the beach bag from the chair and followed Mark out. He closed the door and locked it before heading down the stairs to the street. "Has she talked to you yet?"

Mark shook his head as they walked over to Maureen's Acura. "No, why? What's up?"

"Nothing, I just thought she would have talked to you."

Mark tossed the bags in the trunk and slammed it shut. "She was pretty tired last night. Matt told me he ended up putting Noah to bed because she fell asleep on the couch."

Jackie nodded and slid in the backseat, followed by Mark.

"Hey guys," Maureen said brightly.

"Hey Jac. Mark," Harvey added. He changed the radio station just as they pulled out onto the street. Roger sped past them and honked the horn, waving and grinning as Mimi rolled her eyes in the passenger seat.

Three hours later, after cruising down the parkway and beating the majority of the shore traffic, they had arrived in Wildwood. It was close to 8, and it had taken Maureen an extra twenty minutes to figure out where the hell the hotel was exactly at. Jackie had fallen asleep and was resting comfortably against Mark, her head in his lap and his arm tucked around her waist. Even Harvey had dozed on and off.

Roger and Mimi had been waiting in the hotel parking lot for the last half an hour. "This is why you get a cell phone. She has one. Jackie has one. Harvey has one. I'm buying you a cell phone for Christmas," she said, stretching her legs out as she walked around. 

Roger grinned and wrapped his arms around her, blocking the cool ocean breeze. "This is Mo we're talking about. She sucks at directions."

"Lisa and Matt aren't here either."

"Ten bucks Eva made her and Matt stay for dinner."

Mimi laughed and wrapped her arm around his back, walking towards the sand dunes. "I don't think Eva's that bad."

Roger was cut off before he could say anything by Maureen honking at him loudly. Her tires screeched to a halt and she parked next to his car. "Roger fucking Davis, your directions suck dick!" she yelled. A few people that were in the pool area stared at her. Mark tried to shush her and Jackie walked out of the car groggily, leaning against Harvey.

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't follow written instructions!" he yelled back at her. "Only verbal!"

"Sorry Mo," Mimi apologized.

"And what were you implying by that statement?" Maureen said huffily, locking her car.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

By 8:30, they had all checked into their hotel rooms. Matt and Lisa had arrived about fifteen minutes after Maureen, and yes, Eva had made them stay for dinner. 

Mimi stretched out on the bed as Roger tracked down Wes. He, Lori, and their baby were staying a few rooms down, next to Mark and Jackie and across from Matt and Lisa. 

"Hey Mimi," he greeted as he walked in with Roger. "Ten minutes okay with you, Rog?"

"Hey Wes," she replied, smiling.

Roger nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you and the rest of the band then."

"Later." 

Roger turned back to Mimi and helped her stand up. "You don't have to stay for the whole set if you don't want to. I know you'll probably get tired. Just have someone walk you back up here, okay? I don't want you coming back up her by yourself."

Mimi nodded and kissed him, pulling him towards her. He had grown increasingly protective about her after the incident with Josh in June, and rarely let her walk five feet without someone right there with her. "Okay. That's fine baby, I was gonna come up before it ended anyway."

"Okay, so um, who do you want to stay with before the gig?"

"Leave me at Lisa and Matt's room," she yawned. He grabbed his Fender in its case and she followed him out the door.

_____________________________________________________________________

By 10:30, the gig was well underway. The Hungarians were playing for a pretty wild crowd tonight. Half of the people were trashed, and the other half was well on their way. There had to be at least a good 300 people on the pier, and Mimi could tell even from where she was sitting that Roger and the rest of his band were pretty psyched about it. 

Maureen and Harvey had slipped away by themselves around midnight, and Jackie looked pretty exhausted. She kept sighing and staring off into space.

"Meems, you heading up soon? I'm really tired," she yawned, finishing her glass of water. 

Mimi nodded and Jackie walked over to the next table to tell Mark, who was sitting with Lisa and Matt, that she was heading up. 

"You guys want me to walk up with you?" he asked.

"Nah, we'll be fine," Mimi answered. "Just tell Roger to come up the room as soon as he can."

Mark nodded and sat back down at the table. "Alright."

Jackie and Mimi took the elevators and said goodnight before heading off to their separate rooms.  Yawning, Mimi quickly changed into an old tee shirt of Roger's and a pair of his boxers. She pulled them down low enough on her hips so her large stomach hung over the waistband. 

She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed her makeup off before setting the TV on sleep timer. She had a feeling that she'd fall asleep within minutes, but it made her more comfortable to sleep with it on. She had done so the whole two weeks Roger had been in LA and was used to doing it whenever he wasn't home by the time she went to bed.

Roger slipped into the room around 2. It had taken him awhile to wrap up with the guys. They had all even signed a few autographs here and there. He smiled as he noticed Mimi fast asleep in the bed. He kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers before kissing her goodnight.

"Hey," she mumbled, curling up against him the best she could. 

"Hey." He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Did I wake you?"

She yawned and shook her head. "Nah, I was trying to wait up for you. Or at least trying to."

"You could have gone to sleep babe." He kissed her forehead and smoothed out the sheets over her.

"Yeah, I know, but I couldn't really sleep without you. How was the rest of the gig?"

He yawned and rested his hand on her back. "It was good. Signed a few autographs here and there. Pretty rough crowd tonight. Half of them were drunk off their asses."

She laughed and nodded. "No shit. Me and Jackie headed up around midnight. We were beat."

"Mark get up here yet?"

Mimi shrugged. "I don't know. Probably. Lisa and Matt were still down their hanging out when we left."

"Okay." He stretched out on his back and pulled her close to him. "Night baby. Love you."

"Love you. See ya in the AM."

"No sleeping until one tomorrow," he joked.

She smiled and kissed him goodnight. "I promise."

___________________________________________________________________________

Review please!!!! 


	40. 40

CHAPTER 40

A/N: We're going to cover a few time periods in this chapter. Preferably the rest of July and parts of early August. Sorry to speed this up, but it will slow down again for a chunk of chapters starting with Chapter 41. 

Keep reviewing please, and I think you all know what's coming up in the next chapter. ;) 

33333

__________________________________________________________________

"Earth to Harvey."

Harvey looked up at Jackie as she sat down on the beach blanket next to him and handed him a beer. Mark and Roger were goofing off in the ocean with Matt and Lisa. Maureen was standing near the edge of the water with Mimi. Everyone was smiling, and even though it was sweltering on the beach, no one seemed to mind much.

"Thanks," he answered. He popped the top off and took a swig from the bottle. "How come you're not down there hanging out with them?"

Jackie shrugged. "Feeling a little bit anti social too, huh?"

"I don't know. I've just been thinking."

"About?" She buried her toes in the sand and looked over at him.

"April. Natalie. Maureen. Everything," he said.

"Oh." She looked down towards the water and noticed Roger had Mark in a headlock, much to Maureen and Mimi's amusement.

"April used to love the beach. Our parents used to take us all the time, to Nantucket, but I know she loved the Jersey shore better. The last time I saw her, you know what she told me?" He cleared his throat and looked over at Jackie.

"No, I don't."

"She knew that we hadn't had a good chance to hang out together in years, and she said that we'd head down to Seaside, lay out on the beach and talk about everything. That was her favorite part about the beach, the stars and everything. I knew she was fucked up then—even our parents knew. But I didn't do anything. I could have done something. Why didn't I fucking do anything? I could have gotten her into rehab, or—a program. Something. I could have done something," he said, frustrated.

Jackie shook her head. "But there wasn't anything you could do for her. She had to make the choice to do it herself, and she couldn't do it. She was scared. You can't think that if you were there, things would have been better for her, because they wouldn't have. She was too far gone. She didn't think she had any other way out."

"I know that now. But I just wish I had gotten a better chance to say goodbye to her."

"I think we all wish we had a better chance to say goodbye to some people," she answered quietly.

"I don't hate him."

"Hate who?"

Harvey looked over at the ocean. "Roger. I'd really like to, but I can't. Because I know if I act like an asshole towards him and hate him, it still won't bring her back. She'll never come back. She's gone, and there's nothing anyone can do about it." He took another sip of his beer. "But I am really glad that he didn't end up like her. I mean, he's married and he has a kid on the way. I wanted that for April, too. But I'm glad he had the dignity to work towards getting clean and getting his life back on track."

"So am I."

"Natalie's mom called me the other day."

Jackie looked over again and smiled. "What did she say?"

"She just wanted to see what I've been up to and how I've been. She asked about you. I told her about your baby—I hope that's okay. She said she wants to stop by and see you—us sometime."

"It's fine. I haven't seen her since the memorial service anyway. It's been a long time."

"Yeah, it has."

"Harvey! You coming in or what?" Maureen shouted over to him.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second!"

Jackie stifled a laugh and rested her head against his shoulder. "So where exactly did you two go last night?"

"Mmm wouldn't you like to know," he laughed. 

Jackie smiled at him. "Harvey Spataro you bad, bad boy!" she teased. 

"She's a good person," he added. "She's not afraid to be herself. I like that."

Jackie linked her hand through his. "Yeah, she's a character."

"That's putting it lightly," he grinned. He pulled her to her feet and looked down at her hands. "What is that on your finger?'

Jackie grinned and waved it in his face. "I'm engaged, that's what it is," she laughed.

"And you didn't tell me?" he yelled out. He picked her up and ran with her down the beach as she laughed. 

"Don't drop me! I'm pregnant, you can't drop me!" she giggled. "I'll get Mark on you!"

"Ooh threatening me with your hubby to be already. Alright alright." He set her down on her feet. "It's funny how things work out sometimes."

"Yeah," she smiled at him. "Time heals all wounds, I guess."

"Not all of them, Jac. But most of them." Maureen walked over to him and he kissed her on her cheek and picked her up instead, dumping her into the water.

Mark ran over to her then and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him. "Hey." His hand lingered on her stomach. "How do you feel?"

She smiled at him. "I feel fine."

"You about ready to head back?"

She nodded and he walked toward the blanket. He started folding it up and she pulled on a pair of tiny cotton shorts that still, amazingly fit her. She looked over and saw Roger and Mimi heading up the beach. Mimi had left her tank top on for self-conscious purposes, although the bottom half of her stomach was still exposed. Lisa and Matt were already heading for his car. Harvey and Maureen were taking their time, hands linked together.

"Hey Mark?"

He looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"I just—thank you. For everything. For always being there for me, because if it wasn't for you, I don't think I would have been able to make it through everything that happened. You made me a fighter. And I don't know if I ever thanked you for that."

Mark stood up and pulled her close. "You're welcome," he whispered in her ear. 

____________________________________________________________________

"Roger did you take the salad out of the fridge?" 

Roger pulled the refrigerator door open and pulled out the salad bowl. He stretched out on the couch again. "I did now."

Mimi finished putting in her earrings. They had managed to get back from Wildwood around 4, and in the time she had been home she had managed to clean up the apartment, take a shower, cook a lasagna, tame her hair, and find something decent to wear that she didn't feel huge in. 

After tearing through the greater portion of their closet, she had settled on a black sleeveless turtleneck and a white calf length skirt paired with her black knee length boots. She had pulled back her messy curls into a half up and half down style. She placed the remainder of her clothes neatly on the bed before heading out into the loft, only to find Roger still sitting on the couch, unshowered and half asleep. 

"Roger." She shook his arm and he woke up. 

"What?"

"It's 6:30, that's what. You haven't taken a shower and you smell like salt water. Your parents are gonna be here in half an hour. Get moving," she warned. She walked into the kitchen and pulled the lasagna out of the oven and set it on the counter to let it cool. "God I hope I got this right. I'm Spanish, we don't cook lasagna! You're the Italian one here, come look at it and see if it's okay."

Roger yawned and looked over her shoulder. "It looks fine. Babe relax, it's just my parents."

"Yeah, but I want everything to be perfect. This is like the first real family meal I've ever had with them."

Roger kissed her forehead. "You look good in that, baby. It'll be fine."

"Thanks," she smiled. He yawned again and walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

Around 6:45 the doorbell buzzed. Mimi took a deep breath, looked around one more time, and walked to the door. She smoothed out her skirt before opening it. 

"Hi honey! Oh my god, let me get a look at you! You look great!" Sandra said, giving Mimi a tight hug. 

"Thank you."

Frank stepped in and shut the door behind him. "Hi Mimi." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You've really fixed this place up nice."

Sandra nodded and smiled. "It looks great!" She walked over to the coffee table and set down the two shopping bags she had brought with her before carrying two tinfoil plates into the kitchen. "When did you have the time to do all this?"

"I have a friend who's an interior designer and he painted and carpeted the place. We installed a new air conditioning and heating system, new windows, new furniture, everything. He renovated Mark and Jackie's place next door and it connects with ours." She pointed to the French doors. 

"It's gorgeous. You even have ceiling fans and everything," she smiled, giving her another hug. "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited to see you!"

Frank laughed. "You better believe it, Mimi. She was chattering nonstop on the way over here."

"So where's Roger?" She sat down next to Frank and Mimi took a seat in the overstuffed chair.

"He's in the bedroom getting ready. He didn't take a shower until 6:30, and he practically fell asleep on me. I mean come on, I'm the one who's pregnant here!" she smiled.

Frank and Sandra laughed. "Yeah, well Roger's always been the one to sleep in to all hours," Frank said. "He overslept about every day of his senior year."

"That sounds like him. But sometimes he gets in pretty late from the bar or practice, so he's excused."

"Oh yeah?" Frank added. "How is his band doing?"

"Pretty good. I don't know if he told you, but they were signed to a label. He had a gig in Wildwood last night, and he signed a few autographs or so he claims. They've been in the recording studio doing god knows what, and their CD is slated to be released in November."

Frank nodded. "He mentioned something about it on the phone. That's good to hear."

"Yeah."

"So how's the baby?" Sandra asked, practically unable to contain her excitement on the couch.

Mimi smiled and rested a hand on her stomach. "She's good. She's been using me as her personal punching bag lately."

"Speaking of active babies, your husband over there was a troublemaker even before he was born. He used to keep me up all hours of the night with his feet in my ribs."

Mimi groaned and laughed. "Tell me about it. This one's mastered the art of it."

"So have you both thought about names?" Frank questioned.

"Yeah. We're pretty set on the name already, actually. We think we're going to name her Jaylynn Angela."

"That's pretty. And original."

"Yeah. We were having a tough time deciding at first, so we put a few names together and came up with that."

"Jaylynn Angela Davis. Has a nice ring to it," Frank noted. 

Roger opened the bedroom door and walked out. "Hey," he greeted. 

"Hi sweetie," Sandra said, giving him a kiss and a hug.

"Well, are we about ready to eat or what?" Frank joked, standing up.

"Don't be rude Frank!" Sandra scolded. 

Mimi and Roger followed his parents into the kitchen. "I hope it's okay."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It'll be fine, don't worry. And if it sucks, then we just won't let you make lasagna. Ever again," he laughed and she jabbed him in his ribs.

__________________________________________________________________

"Oh my god! Who is that?" Mimi laughed, taking an old photograph from Sandra. 

"Come on Mom, put it away," Roger groaned, blushing into his hands. "I can't believe you still have that."

Mimi grinned and waved it in from of his face. "Someone liked to walk around naked when they were a toddler," she giggled. "You always did have a cute butt."

Sandra nodded and laughed. "He did."

"Mom, Jesus Christ!" he laughed, snatching the picture from Mimi and tucking it into his pocket. 

"Okay, okay. Just one more." Sandra pulled out a different photo and handed it to Mimi. In it were two very pregnant girls. They both were smiling and had their stomachs pressed together, giving the camera the thumbs up. "This is Lindsey and Cindy, Mark's sister when they were pregnant together back in '93. Lindsey was pregnant with Marissa at the time, and Cindy with Rachel."

"They're huge! Oh my god, I don't think I can get any bigger."

"No sweetie, let me tell you something. You're all belly. They were definitely not. They both put on a good 40 pounds each. Lindsey lost the weight faster then Cindy did, but if you want to talk about large bellies, there's your proof. So stop worrying."

"Thanks," Mimi smiled. 

Roger grinned and placed his arm around the back of the couch. "So what else is in the bags Mom?"

Mimi glared at him. "That's rude."

Frank laughed. "Yeah, well what do you expect? He's a Davis, we're all rude."

Sandra smacked him lightly on the arm as she passed by to get the bags. "That's enough." She pulled out a stack of wrapped gifts and handed one to Mimi. "Go ahead, open it."

Mimi nodded and pulled the wrapping paper off of it. "Oh, it's so cute! Roger isn't it cute!" She held up the two nightgowns and two onesies that were packaged together. They were in alternating colors of pink and yellow.

He laughed at her. "Yeah, they're great Meems."

Sandra gradually pushed the rest of the packages towards her. Twenty minutes later, she had unwrapped five new outfits, a fall denim jacket, a fleece outfit for the winter, a bouncer seat, and a package of receiving blankets. Sandra had even brought presents from Lindsey, Cindy, and Mark's mother. 

Lindsey had gotten Mimi extra bibs, a few outfits, and a fleece blanket. Cindy and Eva had pretty much done the same, except they added in a bottle warmer, a few books, and booties.

"Thank you so much," she said, leaning over to give Sandra a hug. "Tell them I said thanks too and I'll get around to calling them eventually," she laughed.

"You're welcome honey."

Mimi placed the boxes that were in her lap back on the coffee table. "I feel so spoiled now."

"We have every right to spoil our grandbaby."

Roger laughed. "Oh, was this before or after your bought out Babies R' Us?" he joked. "Because this kid is gonna have a wardrobe worse than Mimi."

They spent the next hour socializing over coffee. Roger and Frank were debating the preseason lineup for the Giants, and Mimi had shown Sandra the painted but still incomplete babies room.

By ten o'clock, they had left and were on the parkway back to Scarsdale. Roger had started tuning his guitar, and Mimi had begun finding places for all of the gifts in the baby's room. She even hung up a few pictures on the walls here and there and vacuumed the room. 

Towards midnight, she heard Roger put his guitar away and turn off the TV. "Ready for bed?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe and watching her adjust the pillows and comforter in the crib. 

She looked up and smiled at him. "Yeah."

 He walked over to her and sat down near the window, leaning against the dresser. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Nothing," she said quietly. 

"Just tell me. You can tell me," he reminder her.

"I just don't want to talk about it right now Roger."

"Oh. Okay." He stood up and followed her to their bedroom.

Things were silent after they settled into bed.

He kissed her before stretching out on his back. "I love you."

"Yeah," she said softly. She turned over on her side, her back towards him.

"Okay," he groaned. "What did I do now?"

"You didn't do anything, Roger," she said sharply. "It's not always about you."

_______________________________________________________________________

**JULY 21st**

"Mark sit down and stop touching things," Jackie said, shaking her head at him. 

He opened a drawer and pointed at a speculum lying on a tray. "And I'm not even asking where that goes, because I have a pretty good idea."

"Very good. Someone paid attention in anatomy class," she clapped. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to her and forced him to sit down. "Behave yourself."

"I'm trying," he laughed. "I just really can't wait to find out."

"Neither can I, but you're driving me insane with a capital I."

"Sorry," he apologized. 

"It's okay. Just calm down and breathe."

"Yeah."

"And what are we doing after we find out?" she quizzed him.

"We're calling my mother, telling her we're engaged, and then telling her we're having a baby," he stated correctly.

"Because?"

He laughed and kissed her. "Because I put this off long enough."

"Exactly."

Dr. Chesek came in and smiled at them, shutting the door behind her. "Hey guys, how are we doing today?"

"We're good," Mark answered.  
  


"He's a little nervous," Jackie laughed, squeezing his hand.

Mark blushed and shrugged. "I guess."

"Well that's okay, because I'm going to breathe down your neck and make you answer personal questions about your sex life," Dr. Chesek laughed. Jackie burst out laughing at the petrified look on Mark's face. 

She walked over to the counter and flipped through Jackie's chart. "Okay Miss Jackie, you've gained twelve pounds so far, so that puts you at 105 pounds. You're at the average. Still a little low, but I know you're going to gain a lot more towards the end of your pregnancy during the third trimester, so I'm not too worried about that right now. You're eating okay?"

"Yeah."  
  


Mark grinned. "She's cleaning out the cabinets faster than I can restock them."

Dr. Chesek smiled and jotted that down on her chart. "That's good. Just make sure you get enough nutrients and take your iron supplement pills. So are we ready to find out what we're having?"

"Yes," Mark blurted out. 

"Okay," she smiled at him. "Just lay back on the table and we'll get things rolling, Jackie."

Dr. Chesek turned off the lights and pointed out the general parts of the baby with her wand. "And right—there," she added, pointing towards the bottom of the screen. "You're having a boy. Congratulations." She printed out the pictures and made another note on Jackie's chart. "I'll have these waiting for you at the reception desk and I'll see you in two weeks, Jackie." She finished wiping off the jelly off of Jackie's stomach before leaving the room.

They were silent on the subway ride back to the loft. Mark kept fingering the ultrasound photos in his pocket and Jackie rested her head on his shoulder. They came to their stop and walked off, hand in hand.

They reached the loft and Mark started fumbling with the key. "Mark?"

"Yeah?" he smiled at her.

"We're having a boy," she laughed.

"Yeah, we are. We're having a boy!" he yelled out, picking her up and swinging her around. 

"Now you get to call your mother," she teased, pushing him into the apartment. 

____________________________________________________________________

"That's the last of it," Roger called out, hauling the box that contained the unassembled changing table into the room. 

"Thank god," Mimi said, dropping down heavily onto the couch. "I'm so glad that baby shower is over."

He grinned at her. "Yeah, so am I. You looked kind of frustrated during it."

She shook her head. "I wasn't frustrated. It was really nice of Maureen to go out of her way and pull it together. I'm just so goddamn fucking uncomfortable. I'm nine months pregnant. I can't see my toes. My back is killing me, and those Braxton Hicks contractions are driving me crazy. I can't sleep because I have to get up to pee constantly, and when I do get a chance to sleep she starts kicking the crap out of me. I can't have sex with you because there's no possible room left. I can't walk more than two feet without feeling like I've run a mile. I want her out and now," she complained. Roger made sure to nod and smile sympathetically in all the right places. "I'm ready, why can't she be?"

"I know baby. I want her out too, but she's not gonna come out until she's ready. I can't blame her, she probably likes it in there."

"Well I don't anymore. My hospital bag has been packed for three weeks and nothing. I think my doctor's a sad ass liar," she huffed.

"You have two weeks to go until your due date, and she told you that she can't induce you until after then," he added. 

"Shut up. You're not pregnant," she answered testily as the phone started ringing. "Roger I'm going to rip the phone out of the wall if one more person calls to ask how I am. I can't take it."

He laughed and picked it up instead. She carelessly propped her swollen feet up on the coffee table and started flipping through a magazine, waiting for him to get off the phone.

He hung up the phone and sat back down next to her. "Just my sister. She wanted to know you were."

"Hmph," Mimi groaned. "Roger why isn't it September 2nd, yet? Why?"

"I'm sorry," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "Soon though. Real soon, I promise."

_________________________________________________________________

**COMING UP IN CHAPTER 41**: Mimi goes into labor! Finally! It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here!


	41. 41

CHAPTER 41 

A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I think you've all been waiting for this chapter, so here you go, and enjoy!

___________________________________________________________

**SEPTEMBER 3rd**

7 PM 

"Are you sure that's all you want to eat?" 

Mimi nodded at Mark. "Yeah. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

She glared at him. "Yes," she said through gritted teeth.

"You don't want me to call Roger?"

"No. I've been having contractions on and off for the past three days. They've been alternating on and off at fifteen minutes apart. I've called my doctor repeatedly. She says to stay home until they're six minutes apart or my water breaks. And none of that has happened yet," she said quickly, still glaring at him. "And I highly doubt that anything is going to happen today, so leave Roger alone."

"But he said—"

Mimi shook her head. "I know what he said. Look, let me just take a nap and see what happens. If something happens before he gets home from the bar, then I'll call him. Nothing is happening Mark, so please stop asking. Go and bother Collins and Dan, or wait until Jackie gets home and start bothering her. Because you're grating on my last nerve."

He grinned uneasily. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Now just go and let me get some rest. I'll keep you posted," she mumbled, waving him away with her hand. 

"Okay. Just let me know if anything happens."

"I will."

She was so thankful when he left. Everyone was practically walking around her on pins and needles, almost as if they were afraid that any little thing they said or did would send her into labor. Unfortunately, there was no such luck. Her due date had been yesterday, and it had come and gone with contractions on and off throughout the day. 

She stretched out on the bed as best as she could and turned onto her side. She couldn't wait until it was all over, because she felt as if she had been pregnant forever. She was sure she definitely looked it—she was convinced that her stomach was stretched to its limit. 

The baby's room had been completed for two and a half weeks. The clothes had been washed, the changing table assembled with much complaint from Mark and Roger, the border put up around the edge of the walls. Now it was just a difficult waiting game. 

As she laid there in the dark, she couldn't believe that she was about to bring a baby into this world. Nine months ago, it hadn't seemed real yet, but it was close to becoming a reality. She thought of all the things she had accomplished over those months. Marrying Roger was about the one thing that really stuck out in her mind. They had been married short of four months already, and their fights had become completely rare. And for the first time, she realized that she was loving life instead of hating everything about it.

She must have dozed off because the next thing she heard was someone shuffling around in the bedroom and slamming the dresser drawer. That hadn't been all that had woken her up as she tried to silently breathe through the contraction. She opened one eye and tried to sit up some after it was over. "What time is it?" 

Roger tossed his shirt in the dirty pile and checked the clock. "A little after midnight. Sorry, did I wake you up?"

She shrugged and fell back down against the pillows. "No. I don't know," she said quietly as he joined her on the bed.

He kissed her and rested his hand on her stomach. "How's it coming?"

"I want you to take me out back and shoot me, that's how it's coming," she said sarcastically.

"Anymore contractions?" he grinned, pulling the sheets over them.

"About a minute ago. I don't know how far apart. I was down to twelve minutes when I fell asleep."

"Want me to start timing?" he asked, yawning.

She shook her head. "Just shut up and let me go back to sleep. I'll wake you up if anything happens."

"Okay. Night baby," he said.

"Night," she yawned, resting her head on his shoulder. She was asleep again within minutes.

___________________________________________________________________

**SEPTEMBER 4th**

**6 AM**

"Fuck."

Mimi sat up in bed, breathing heavily. She rested her hands on her stomach and tried to struggle through the contraction. She bit her lip as she tried to time it on the digital clock. 6:05 AM. It had to have lasted at least 45 seconds. 

She looked over at Roger. He was sprawled out on his stomach, his one arm hanging over the side of the bed. He was snoring lightly and appeared to be in a deep sleep. "Great," she mumbled, bringing herself to her feet and shuffling into the kitchen. She turned the TV on and started to pour herself a cup of coffee.

She brought it back over to the coffee table and sat down. There was nothing else on but reruns of the Cosby show, so for lack of better options, she started watching. It would at least make her laugh and take her attention off the contractions and uncomfortable state she was in.

About two commercial breaks and two contractions later, she felt a trickle of liquid slide down her leg. She peered down at the coffee mug in her hand over the rim of her glasses and checked to make sure she hadn't spilt any without knowing. She didn't see a spill, so she shrugged it off as just paranoia. Five minutes after that, she had just finished laughing at Cliff's attempt at cooking when she noticed the cushion under her was starting to get squishy. She stood up slowly and looked down. The cushion she had been sitting in was soaked, and part of the carpet where he legs had been was damp. 

"Oh. Shit," she said out loud. She walked—more like waddled over to the linen closet and grabbed a towel and placed it on the couch. Before she could even step and further, the familiar, sharp pains started radiating from her lower back to the front of her belly and back again. Except this time, it genuinely hurt more so than the others. "Oh god," she moaned, gripping onto the back of the couch. She breathed slowly through it, focusing on the second hand of her watch rather than the pain. When it finally ended, she tried to remember the time. Seven minutes, thirty seconds from her last contraction. One minute long.

She _knew_ that her water had broken, but before she decided to wake up Roger, she figured that she could at least benefit from changing out of her pajamas. Roger was still out like a light, so she quickly changed into fresh everything and took a seat on the edge of the bed next to him. "Roger."

He didn't answer. Instead, he curled his legs up to his chest and moved his head to the side and let out a snort. She smiled and poked him in his side. "Roger, you have to get up now. Roger get up." She started shaking him.

He opened one eye and stared at her. "What? Whatsamatta?" he mumbled, his words running together. "We don't have any vodka…can I see some ID?"

Mimi stared at him and shook him again. "Roger get up! My water just broke! Get up!" she shouted, dragging the sheets off of him. 

"What? When the hell did this happen!" He stood up quickly and grabbed his pants from the night before and put them on. "Are you okay? How far apart are they? Why didn't you say something!"

"Do I look okay?" she mumbled. She went to go and pick up her hospital bag, but felt another contraction tear through her and grabbed his arm. "Oh holy fucking shit, that hurts. Oh my god, it hurts Roger!" she yelled.

Roger helped her sit back down on the bed and started rubbing her back. "It's okay baby." He checked his watch. "Keep breathing, it's almost over."

"It hurts. Make it stop hurting," she said, her eyes starting to water. 

He felt her relax against him "That was seven minutes even." He pulled on his shirt and helped her stand back up before grabbing her hospital bag. "Let's go."

"Call my doctor," she said. He nodded and led her to the couch, where she sat back down. He had to beep her, and within a minute she had called them back. 

"She's already on call and she'll meet us there. You have everything."

She nodded. "Yeah. You hooked up the car seat in Mo's car, right?"

"Yup. It's good to go. Should I wake up Mark now or should I just call from the hospital?"

"Call him from the hospital. Let's just go," she said, standing up and leading him towards the door. "Call the cab!" she hollered at him.

He nodded and picked up the phone again. "Yeah, yeah okay. I will baby." 

"Good."

"It's gonna be here in a few minutes." 

They walked down the four flights of stairs. Roger helped her sit on the last few stairs and rubbed her back through the next contraction. 

"Oh god, please tell me they can knock me out when I have her. I want the epidural now," she complained. Roger helped her into the cab and had her lean up against him en route to the hospital.

"We'll be there soon, and then you can have all the drugs you want. I promise."

"I'll break your had if you're lying to me," she warned, glaring at him.

Roger sighed and looked out the window. It was going to be a **long** day.

_________________________________________________________________

**11:30 AM**

"Okay Mimi, you're looking good. You and the baby's vitals are very good. She's head first, so that's a good sign, which means we don't have to turn her, which can be uncomfortable to you and to her."

"How much longer?" Mimi asked, her eyes shifting from the window to the doctor. 

She laughed and smiled. "You're about three centimeters right now. You've got a ways to go. Your contractions are coming about every five and a half minutes now." She finished the exam and let Mimi rest her legs back down on the bed. 

"So when do I get the epidural?" she asked as the monitor started beeping, signaling the onset of the next contraction. 

"I'll check you again in an hour. Hopefully you'll be closer to five, and then we can go ahead with the epidural, okay?"

Mimi nodded and started breathing through the next contraction. "Okay."

"You're doing great," the doctor smiled. "Just keep breathing. The nurse will be in shortly to check in on you."

"Alright."

The doctor left and Roger walked back in. "Hey, how are you doing?"

Mimi shrugged and closed her eyes. "It really hurts. It feels like I'm gonna rip in two. She said I'm only at three centimeters, and I can't get the epidural until I get to at least five. She's coming back soon to check me again."

He squeezed her hand and rested his other on her large belly. "She'll be here soon."

"Yeah," she mumbled, gripping his hand as the contraction finally passed over her. "And to think this was all just because of some egg nog."

Roger laughed and kissed her forehead. "Mark and Jackie are on their way. Collins is coming as soon as his class is over. Dan's at work, but he's coming as soon as he can get out of his meeting."

Mimi rested her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes. "My mom?"

"Left a message on the machine. I called my mom, and she said for me to give her updates and call when you're closer to 6 centimeters. She said she didn't want to crowd you."

Mimi smirked and adjusted her glasses. "At least she's the smart one. We're going to have the troops here all day. That's bad enough."

"I'll kick 'em out," he grinned, leaning over to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.

"You're such a bad ass," she giggled. 

"You want me to get you anything to eat?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. I think it's been the first time in a long time that I haven't been hungry by noon."

Roger stood up and kissed her forehead again. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. I'll be back in two minutes. Get some rest."

"Yes sir Daddy," she laughed as he walked out of the hospital room.

_______________________________________________________________________

**1:45 PM**

"Mark move over some," Jackie ordered. She was trying to get comfortable in the labor and delivery waiting room, and considering she was six months pregnant by now, that was hard to do. "Goddammit these chairs are pieces of shit."

"Honey, maybe you should try the floor?" Dan suggested. He was sitting across from her, next to Collins. Mark was trying to be cooperative with her, but the look on his face said otherwise. 

"Maybe prop yourself up against the wall?" Harvey added, shrugging. He was sitting by himself next to Dan. Maureen was in with Mimi and Roger, and the nurses had already placed restrictions on how many people could be in her room at one time.

"Yeah. Maybe," Jackie said.                  

Roger walked into the room and slumped down against the wall. Mark looked up and could tell that he was more than exhausted. His eyes were puffy, and he looked like he was about to fall over.

"How is she?" Mark asked, getting up and sitting next to him.

He shrugged. "The doctor's in there now checking her again. She's dilated to 4 and a ½ centimeters now, and her contractions are still five minutes apart. She's getting really uncomfortable, and you know when she's uncomfortable—"

"She's moody," Dan cut him off. "Oh, we know."

"Yeah. So I'm on an errand to get her some ice chips from the vending machine. At the rate we're going, it's gonna be a while. You should all go out and do something," he suggested, standing up.

Collins shook his head. "Roger, we're here for you both now. We're not going anywhere."

Roger smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate that. Well I better get going back before she bites my head off," he said seriously. 

"Tell her to hang in there," Dan added.

"Yeah," Harvey agreed.

"Hey Mark, man, it's gonna be you in there in three more months. You ready?" Collins smiled.

Jackie started laughing. "Like hell he is. I'm not even ready."

Mark shrugged. "It'll be an experience."

"This is an experience," Dan said, rolling his eyes. "The nurses hate us, we've taken over the waiting room, and Maureen's about to stage a demonstration about the lack of organization in the hospital. Maybe we should call it a day."

Mark laughed. "Yeah, maybe."

____________________________________________________________________

7 PM 

Roger walked back into Mimi's room with his third cup of ice chips. The first two cups had gone quickly and he figured he was better off staying on top of things instead of getting yelled at for forgetting.

Mimi was curled up on her right side, facing towards the door. Her eyes were shut and her lips were pursed into a tight line. She had one hand on the top of her stomach and the other behind her head.

He set the ice chips down on the nightstand and kissed her lightly, brushing a few strands of hair off her damp forehead. "Hey baby."

"Hi," she said quickly. She turned over onto her back and pulled her legs up. "Everyone here?"

He nodded. "Except Matt and Lisa. They'll be by later. Matt had class and so did she. Then she had to get Noah from daycare."

"Alright."

The monitor queued another contraction and Mimi reached out for his hand. Roger linked his through hers as she squeezed it roughly. "Oh my god. Roger it hurts, it really hurts," she said, starting to cry. 

"Shh, you can do this baby. I know you can. You have to breathe. Breathe for me."

"No! I can't!" she sobbed. "It hurts so bad. Roger please go and get the doctor, I need the epidural. I can't—I can't, it hurts, oh god."

Roger nodded and pressed the call button on the wall. "Someone should be here soon, baby." He helped her sit up some and got behind her. He started rubbing her back with his free hand. "Come on, just breathe."

Mimi took a deep breath and exhaled, shutting her eyes tightly. "Is it over? Please tell me it's over."

Roger looked at the monitor and nodded. "Yeah, it's over baby."

"Okay," she said, leaning back against him. "She feels like she's between my knees. Like she's about to fall out."

"I highly doubt that," he laughed, starting to massage her shoulders.

A petite, brunette nurse walked into the room. "Hi, I'm Jan. I got your page at the desk, is there something I can help you with?"

Roger looked over at her. "You're an OB nurse?"

She nodded and checked Mimi's monitors and her IV bag. "Yeah. You're looking pretty good still, Mimi. Baby's vitals are still peaking, so that's great. She seems to want to stay in there a little longer though. If you'd like, I can check you and see if you're ready for the epidural."

"Go for it," Mimi said quickly.

"Okay." The nurse checked Mimi and the baby's heart rate. "You're at 7 centimeters. More than halfway there, and I'll have the doctor come in so she can check you too and page the anesthesiologist for the epidural."

"Thank you god!" Mimi blurted out.

Jan laughed. "The doctor will be here in a few." She left and Roger kissed Mimi's forehead.

"Told you baby. You can do this."

Mimi nodded, hearing the familiar beep. "Here we go again. Hand?" she grimaced.

"Ready?"

"No!" she shouted at him.

Dr. Wilson walked back in and smiled at Mimi. "How are we doing in here?"

"It hurts like—god, I don't even know what it hurts like! I just want the epidural."

Dr. Wilson repeated the check that Jan had just done and nodded. "You're definitely at 7 centimeters Mimi. I'm going to page the anesthesiologist right now. I'm just letting you know that things will probably slow down after you get the epidural, but we can monitor the baby and if it comes down to it, we can give you a drug to progress the labor again. She's healthy, active, and her heart rate is good, so hopefully you'll have a baby in your arms by later tonight."

"Okay," Mimi breathed as the contraction ended.

Ten minutes later, Dr. Wilson and the anesthesiologist walked in together. 

"Alright Mimi, I'm going to need you to sit on the edge of the bed and lean into your husband's chest." 

Roger got up and kneeled in front of Mimi. She pressed herself into his chest and wrapped one arm around his neck and the other she placed on his shoulder.

"Good. Now just arch your back out for me, almost like an angry cat. Just the best as you can. That's good. Okay, now you're going to feel a prick and then once I get the medicine in, you'll feel some relief."

Mimi winced and clawed at the back of Roger's neck when he inserted the needle. Roger just turned his head the other way and looked at the floor.

 "Mother-fuck- ow! Jesus," she whispered under her breath. Roger laughed.

"Alright it's in. You can lay back down now," he said.

Mimi nodded and rested on her side. "Thank you, I love you!" she said after his retreating back. After a few minutes, her entire pelvic region was pretty much numb. "Oh god, I'm in love with the epidural man. Mmm," she laughed.

Roger kissed her and started rubbing her stomach. "Baby, I thought you were in love with me."

"Oh I am. But he just made me feel real good," she giggled. The monitor beeped again. 

"Feel anything?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Not much. Just a little pressure, but that's all."

"Can I be your epidural man and make you feel even better?"

Mimi laughed. "In six weeks you can be," she winked.

________________________________________________________________

**SEPTEMBER 5th**

1 AM 

Maureen ran down the hall and into the waiting room, clutching two cups of coffee. "You guys! It's time. She's dilated to ten, Roger just told me."

"They're not gonna let us all in there Mo," Collins pointed out.

Maureen nodded and handed Harvey his cup of coffee. "Yeah, I know. But I just figured I'd tell you. Maybe we can sit out in the hall or something?" She looked around the waiting room. "Where'd Roger's parents go?"

"To the cafeteria," Harvey answered. "They wanted to grab something to eat. They should be back any minute."

Sandra and Frank Davis walked in, their own cups of coffee in their hands. "What's going on?" Sandra asked. "Did we miss something?"

Maureen shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. "Mimi's ready to start pushing. Roger sent me down here to tell everyone."

Sandra smiled. "My baby's finally having a baby of his own. Which one of you is going down there?"

Maureen grinned. "None of us. Mimi kicked us all out."

"I don't blame her. I wouldn't want a ton of people hanging around me when I look like hell and am exposing myself to the world!" 

Everyone laughed and sat back down in chairs. "I guess he'll just let us know when she's had her then," Dan voiced.

Mark nodded. "Yeah." He linked his hand through Jackie's and she smiled at him. "He will."

_______________________________________________________________

**2:45 AM**

"Shut the hell up!"

Roger winced and started rubbing her back. "Come on, you can do this."

"Okay Mimi, you can start pushing again. Give me one good one, and the baby should start crowning soon." Dr. Wilson checked the monitors.

"God I hate you Roger! I hate you! Why can't you just impregnate yourself next time!" she sobbed, pushing down.

"She's almost here Mimi. We'll be able to hold her in a few minutes. Come on baby," he encouraged her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Good. I can see the top of her head now, give me a good push—now," Dr. Wilson said.

Mimi closed her eyes and pushed. "Oh my fucking god!" she screamed out.

"Now that's not something you'd want your priest to hear," the doctor laughed. "Alright, she's crowning. Come on Mimi, one more push and she'll be here."

Mimi scowled and glared at Roger. "You said just one more five minutes ago! Is this the last one?" she complained, pushing down once again. "I can't do this anymore!"

"I can see the head!"

"Yes you can babe. You're doing great," Roger said, squeezing her hand.

"You're a douche bag. Shut the fuck up!" she shouted back at him. "You've lost all of your speaking privileges for the rest of our—marriage!" she groaned, falling back against the pillows. 

"Come on Mimi! Here she comes!" the doctor encouraged. 

Mimi felt the baby slide the rest of the way out and struggled to look over her knees. 

"It's a girl! Say hi to Mommy and Daddy, sweetheart!" Dr. Wilson smiled. Nurse Jan helped clean the baby off as the doctor suctioned. The baby let out a cry and Jan placed the baby on Mimi's chest. "Time of birth—September 5th, 3:03 AM."

"Oh my god Roger. Look at her," Mimi said. She ran her hand down the baby's back as it let out a tiny yawn.

Roger bent his head and kissed her before running his hand down the baby's arm. She attached her pudgy hand around one of his fingers. "She's perfect." He ran his other hand gently through her light brown hair. "Hey Jaylynn. Hi," he whispered.

Mimi gave him a watery smile as Dr. Wilson allowed Roger to cut the cord. "Hi baby," she smiled. 

Jan came over and wrapped the baby in a pink blanket and attached an ID bracelet to her wrist. "Jaylynn?"

Mimi nodded. "Jaylynn Angela."

"You did great," Roger said, giving Mimi another kiss. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah. She is," Mimi smiled, fingering the wisps of Jaylynn's hair underneath the pink cap. 

I love reviews! And I love you guys!


	42. 42

CHAPTER 42

A/N: Whoa, sorry it took me so long for me to get this chapter up. I've been working again, so I haven't had that much time to sit down and write. The next chapter should be up much sooner.

And for those who read _November_, the next chapter (Chapter 11) is in the process of being worked on. Don't worry; it'll be up soon, by the end of the week latest. I kind of have some writer's block there.

Don't forget to review! And thanks for all of the great ones on the last chapter!

33

*     *     *     *

Collins grinned and whistled as he entered the waiting room. He was immediately side tackled by Maureen, who had rushed at him impatiently. Mark and Jackie stood up more civilly as did Dan and Harvey.

Collins rubbed his shoulder. "Jesus Mo, I'm sorry the zoo is on vacation, but you're gonna have to find a way to contain your animalistic behaviors. Rowr," he teased.

She ignored him. "So? What did Roger say?"

Collins grinned as Dan came up behind him and slipped his hand through his. "Girl. Six pounds, ten ounces, 19 and a ½ inches long. Jaylynn Angela," he announced.

Maureen beamed and rested her head against Harvey's shoulder. "Can we see them yet?"

Collins nodded slowly. "Yeah, but only two at a time. Roger's practically sleeping already, and Mimi's exhausted. They're letting the baby stay in the room until the pediatrician comes by."

"Couldn't Mimi request the baby to stay in the room overnight if she wanted to?" Jackie asked.

  
Collins nodded. "Yeah, they'd let her do that, but she told them that it's okay if they take her to the nursery. Understandable, because she and Roger have almost been up for a full 20 hours straight. And she hasn't been getting much sleep even before the baby was born."

"I agree with her on that," Mark added. "She's been pretty miserable the last few days."

Maureen nodded. "Yeah. So can I go and see her now or what?" 

"Patience is a virtue," Dan reminded her, laughing.

*     *     *     *

"I brought you some water from the vending machine."

Mimi looked up at him and smiled. She was holding a sleeping Jaylynn in her arms and rocking her every so often. "Thanks babe."

Roger set the bottled water on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. "How is she?"

"She's good. I tried feeding her a little, but she was more sleepy than hungry," she added, pointing to the bottle of formula that was set on the nightstand as well. "The nurse said it's okay if she doesn't want to take any, and not to push her at first. She'll let us know when she's hungry, I guess. Kind of like you when I don't feed you right away when you get home from the bar."

Roger grinned. "Are you hungry yet?"

Mimi shook her head. "Nah. What time is it?"

"A little after four."

"Okay. Can you take her for a bit? I kind of wanna get some sleep," she said, yawning. "That doesn't make me a bad mother, does it? Because I don't want her to slip out of my arms if I fall asleep," she added quickly.

Roger lifted Jaylynn into his arms and kissed Mimi's forehead. "Nah, you're tired. Get some rest."

Sandra knocked on the doorframe and walked into the room. "Roger?"

Mimi looked over and yawned. "Hey Sandra."

"Hi sweetie." She leaned over the bed and kissed Mimi on her cheek. "Roger honey I just wanted to let you know that your father and I are going to head back to Scarsdale, but we'll be back later tonight with some food, okay?"

Roger nodded. "Thanks Mom, but you really don't have to cook us food and bring it all the way here."

She shook her head and ran her hand over the baby's stomach. "No, it's fine. Ziti okay? I should have everything for it in the house."

Roger looked over to Mimi and she nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. Thanks."

Sandra gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled down at Jaylynn. "She's really beautiful. I'll see you both later then."

 Just as Sandra left, Mark and Jackie walked in. Roger looked up and smiled. "Hey." He shifted Jaylynn in his arms and tucked the blanket back around her. 

"Hey," Mark greeted. "Wow. Rog, she's really beautiful."

"She has Daddy's good looks," Mimi said, yawning. 

Jackie smiled and sat down on the edge of Mimi's bed. "She's so tiny. How do you feel?"

Mimi shrugged. "Really, really tired. And believe me, she was not feeling tiny when she came out. For a second there I thought she was easily nine pounds. It was worth it though, but I'm all stitched up."

Jackie made a face and looked over at Mark. "I probably will be too. How many stitches do you have?"

"Three tiny ones, I think. She kind of ripped towards the bottom of my—"

"Okay! And we're done talking about this now!" Mark interrupted after receiving a desperate look from Roger. 

"What's wrong Marky? Don't want to hear about vaginas this early?" Mimi teased him.

He blushed and shook his head. "Not when I have to eat following the conversation," he groaned.

Nurse Jan knocked on the door and smiled. "Hey Mimi. How are we feeling?"

"Pretty sore down there, if you know what I mean."

Jan nodded. "I'll page the anesthesiologist and have him come down and give you another smaller dosage of the epidural to help you out. Dr. Wilson should be by with some painkillers soon," she added. 

"Okay."

Jan walked over to Roger and Jaylynn. "I'm going to have to take her to the nursery now so the pediatrician can examine her. I'll give her a sponge bath too and get her settled into her bassinet."

Mimi nodded and looked over at Roger. "Roger, can you go with her?"

He grinned and kissed Mimi on the forehead. "Sure babe. Anything else you want?"

Mimi shook her head. "No. Just go with her and make sure she gets settled okay."

"Alright. See you guys later," he added to Mark and Jackie.

"We better get going anyway. Let you get some rest and all," Jackie said. She gave Mimi a hug, and Mark kissed Mimi on the cheek. 

"We'll be back later tonight."

"Bye guys," Mimi yawned. She turned onto her side and shut her eyes.

*     *     *     *

**SEPTEMBER 6th**

Mimi gingerly stepped onto the hospital bath mat and pulled on her sweatpants and tee shirt, wrapping her robe around herself. Her stitches hurt more then she thought they would and she probably shouldn't have been up and walking around, let alone taking a shower, but considering she hadn't taken one for almost three days, she was feeling pretty grimy and disgusting. 

She walked out of the bathroom and sat back down on the hospital bed, carefully toweling her curly hair off. She then quickly pulled it up into a damp messy twist and stretched out onto the bed once again. 

"Hey."

Mimi looked up at Roger. "Hey."

Roger pulled up a chair and handed her a bag of food. "I figured I should get you something before I came here. Hospital food blows."

She nodded and looked in the McDonald's bag. She pulled out a hash brown before handing the rest back to him. "Thanks."

"That's all you want?"

"Yeah. I don't need anymore fat accumulating on my body," she said, picking at the hash brown. 

"Baby…"

Mimi shrugged and took a sip of water. "Did you sleep okay?"

"I guess. It was pretty empty without you there."

"Yeah," she answered.

Roger patted her hair. "Did you take a shower or something?"

"No, I just dumped a fucking bottle of water over my head. Yes, I took a shower," she said sarcastically.

He sighed and leaned back in the chair. "By yourself?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you were supposed to have someone help you?" he asked.

Mimi stared at him. "Oh yeah, because I really want a nurse helping me out when I'm showering."

"Okay okay. Calm down. You should have called me and I would have helped you out," he winked.

She rolled her eyes and looked away from him. "You know we can't do anything for awhile anyway."

"Yeah, I know, but I was just kidding around," he added.

"Uh huh," she mumbled. 

"What's wrong now?" he asked, drumming his fingers alongside the bed.

"Wow, I really like how you phrased that. 'What's wrong now, Mimi? What are you bitching about now?' Really great."

"I didn't mean it like that!" he said defensively. "I just, I'm really trying to be nice here and you're biting my head off for it," he added.

"God I want to go home Roger," she said quietly. "But I'm just really scared of going home by myself with her."

"Yeah, I know. But seriously—if Mark can do it in December, we can do it now. Plus we're not as anal as he is," he joked. "And you won't be by yourself, I'll be with you."

"Can we go see her? Because I'm so tired of sitting in this room."

Roger nodded and helped her stand up. "Sorry, but you have to use the wheelchair. Hospital policy, or some bullshit like that."

She rolled her eyes and sat down in it. "Won't it ruin your bad boy image?"

He laughed and kissed her. "I ran into the pediatrician on my way up here."

"Oh. What did she say?" Mimi asked. 

"They got the preliminary results back from Jaylynn's blood test," he said, pushing her down the maternity ward and towards the nursery.

Mimi turned her head and looked up at him. "Is she?"

"She's negative babe. She said she'll retest her in six months, and that sometimes you won't be able to tell until they're closer to two years old, but she says that it's good that your OB put you back on the AZT after that other doctor took you off, because if you weren't on it, she'd probably be positive right now. She's going to draw her blood again at her one week appointment, but other than that, she's good for now."

Mimi took another look at him and started crying. "Roger she's okay. Our baby's okay," she cried.

Roger crouched in front of her and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey…everything's gonna be okay. Jay's fine. She's healthy." He rubbed her back softly. 

"Yeah I know. But she couldn't have been. We just got really lucky, and I don't think I could have lived with myself if she was positive because of some stupid, fucked up mistakes I made with my life."

"I know baby. But she's okay, and she's gonna be okay. And we just have to keep telling ourselves that."

"I know. And I love you, you know that right? And I'm sorry for being so difficult," she apologized. 

"I love you too."

*     *     *     *

Jackie sat up when she heard the buzzer to the apartment door ring. Mark reached over her and attempted to grab the alarm instead. "I'll get it. Go back to sleep."

"Mmm okay," he yawned, half asleep.

She stood up and pulled on a hoodie over her tank top and boxer shorts. She passed down the hall and unlatched the door and opened it. 

"Um. Hi."

"No. You can't be here. No, if Mark or Roger sees you, no—you can't," she hissed at him. "Josh you can't just show up on my doorstep—no."

He nodded. "Yeah. I know, but I have to tell you something. I need to talk to you."

Jackie stared at him and sighed. "What?"

"I just—can I come in or something? Or can we go and get some coffee and talk?"

"Josh…" Jackie sighed. She stepped to the side and let him walk in. "You're fucking killing me, you know that? You're pushing it, really," she whispered at him. "I have a fucking restraining order placed on you! If anyone catches you—"

"I know. But I needed to risk it to come see you," he said urgently.

She threw her hands up in frustration. "Just—sit there. And don't move from that spot." She pointed to the kitchen chair and he sat down in it. "And don't try anything stupid, because Mark's asleep and Roger's in the other room. Let me get some clothes on and we'll go out somewhere. Just don't move, because I don't trust you."

"I know. I won't. And you shouldn't."

She was about to say something else, but instead walked back down the hallway and closed the bedroom door behind her. She picked out a clean pair of stretchy sweatpants and changed into them and pulled on her sneakers.

Mark sat up and stared at her. "Where are you going?"

"Just down to Collins. I'll be back soon, okay?" she lied.

He shrugged and lied back down. "Okay."

Jackie walked back down the hall. Josh was still sitting on the chair, tapping his fingers on the table. Something didn't look right about him to her. He seemed more quiet, and more apologetic, but he had every damn reason to be. "Let's go." She grabbed her purse and made sure her cell phone was in there.

He nodded quickly. "Okay."

They ended up at a Starbucks on the corner. Jackie paid for two lattes and handed one to him before sitting down at a table near the door. "So. Talk."

"I know that no matter how many times I apologize to you nothing can change what I did to you, Mark, or Roger's wife. But I want you to know that I couldn't control what—what I did really. Because I didn't know—didn't really understand," he said quickly.

Jackie rolled her eyes and was about to stand up. "Bullshit. You're telling me that all the times you beat me and landed me in the hospital was something you didn't know that you were doing? So when you shot Mark and attacked Roger's wife, you didn't know what you were doing then, either?"

Josh reached out for her elbow but then retracted his hand. "Just—don't go yet, okay?"

"Then explain to me and stop bullshitting your way through it," she demanded, sitting back down.

"I went to the doctor's and I took some tests—all kinds. Anger management, stress, depression, you name it, I took it. And the results came back two weeks ago."

Jackie shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "Okay?" 

"Jac, they told me that I'm bipolar and that I have symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia."

Jackie's jaw dropped and she stared at him. "What?!"

He nodded. "They put me on medication for it—for everything. That's why—you remember all the fights we had?"

"Yeah."

"That's why everything happened, and I'm sorry if you don't believe me, or if you think I'm just using it as an excuse, but I never wanted to hurt you Jackie, but I couldn't control what my brain was telling me to do. I was sick, and I didn't even know it. I didn't know what was wrong with me."

"Oh. I'm really sorry to hear that," she said quietly. "But I know, I understand that you couldn't help yourself. But regardless of that, people still did get hurt, Josh."

He nodded. "I know. But I just wanted to tell you. You had a right to know. And I am going to group therapy three times a week, and that's been helping a lot."

"That's good," she added. "I want you to get better?"

"Really? I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you," she sighed. "You did a lot of things that were wrong—to me and to people I care about. But I don't hate you. I can honestly say that I don't trust you anymore at all, but I don't hate you."

"Okay," he answered.

"So where are you staying? In your apartment?"

He nodded. "For now. I'll probably go back to work soon."

"That's good." Jackie looked down at her watch. "Well, um Mark's probably up by now and he most likely figured out that I wasn't at Collins' apartment. Do you need anything?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "Not really. Would it be okay if I still saw you sometime? Maybe around the holidays, or something?"

Jackie contemplated this for a second and nodded. "Yeah. I guess. Just um, call ahead on my cell phone, okay? Don't show up at the loft or call the main line."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." 

  
Josh stood up awkwardly and smiled at her before walking in the direction of the door. "Thanks for giving me the time to talk to you, even after everything I did. I appreciate it."

Jackie nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll see you then. Bye."

Jackie watched his retreating back and grabbed her purse, jogging to catch up with him. "Josh wait."

"Yeah?" He turned around and looked back at her.

She jotted something down on paper and ripped it out of her wallet and handed it to him. "Here. Just take care of yourself for me. And don't do anymore stupid half assed things that you pulled with us, okay?" she smiled.

He looked down at the paper pressed into his hand. "This is a check for five hundred dollars," he said, shocked. "I can't take this from you, I don't deserve it."

"Just use it to get back on your feet, okay? Call it an early Christmas present, I don't know."

"I can't repay this."

Jackie shrugged. "I'm not asking you to."

"Thanks Jackie. For everything." He hesitated at first, but gave her a kiss on her cheek. 

"Bye Josh."

He smiled at her. "Bye Jackie-O." 

She smiled at the nickname he had used so long ago. It had been a long time since anyone had called her that, especially him. Jackie watched him leave and kept her eye on him long enough until he eventually disappeared into the city crowds.  

*     *     *     *

Jackie reentered the loft and pulled off her hoodie. She hung it on the hook and walked down the hall and into the living room.

"Where were you?"

She jumped and turned to look at him. He was sitting on the couch and staring at her. "Jesus Christ Mark, don't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Just don't, okay?"

"You weren't at Collins. He said he didn't even see you this morning."

Jackie shrugged and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of juice. "So what is this, you have to check up on me now?" she said harshly.

Mark stood up and walked over to her. "No, but I was just worried about you.  Where were you?"

"I went out with someone," she answered.

"Who?"

"Does it matter?"

Mark sighed. "Jackie."

"Fine. You'll probably flip and go off on one of your designated Mark Cohen tantrums though. Josh showed up here this morning and told me he had to tell me something. So after debating with myself for a few minutes, we went out to Starbucks and we talked. There you have it," she added bitterly.

Mark stared at her. "You what? Jackie, he's a fucking psycho! He could have hurt you and nobody would have known about it because you didn't tell me where you were going. I can't believe you went out with him after everything he did. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Jackie slammed the glass down in the sink and it shattered. Fragments of glass cut the top of her hand. "Fuck!" she shouted out. "There's nothing wrong with me, okay! So don't sit here and act like it's all about you!"

"So you trust him then?"

"Goddammit no! Far from it! Mark he has a fucking mental disorder! He's bipolar and symptomatic paranoid schizophrenic. I wasn't about to turn him away on our doorstep! We just talked, and he apologized and explained to me that he's on medication for everything. He's going to therapy; he's trying to get better. Nothing can change what he did to you and Mimi—no amount of apologizing. I know that. He knows that. You know that. But I don't hate him—I don't trust him. There's a difference."

"This is un fucking believable. I can't believe this!"

"What's so unbelievable? The fact that I can forgive people and stand up to them? The fact that I can use my backbone for once instead of slinking away under pressure? Stop hiding Mark, you're no good at it."

"Just god—fuck you Jackie! I'm so fed up with you."

"No. You want to talk about being fed up? I called my mother weeks ago and told her that I was pregnant and engaged. She's planning on coming up for the holidays. You haven't said shit to your mother! I'm fucking six months pregnant and you haven't even told her yet! You haven't opened your mouth and told her that we're supposed to be getting married and she's supposed to have a grandchild!"

"Well I'm sorry if I'm so busy trying to support you and the baby that maybe I haven't gotten a chance to yet!"

"Oh bullshit. You've had plenty of chances. You just haven't taken any of them up."

"Maybe it's a sign?"

She glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Maybe we should get married or have a kid. Maybe it's a sign."

"Well maybe you should have thought about that when you forgot the condom!" she screamed at him. 

"Well maybe you should be on birth control and none of this would have happened!" he retorted.

Silence set in for a few minutes as the reality of what had just been said had set in. Jackie grabbed the dishtowel off the sink and wrapped it around her hand. She sat down on the kitchen table and rested her head on the table without saying a word to him.

Mark sighed and pulled up a chair next to her and gently unwrapped her hand. He grabbed the alcohol from underneath the sink, cotton balls, and a few band-aids. "Jac I'm sorry."

She lifted her head up and rested it against the back of the chair. "You don't want this baby, do you?"

"Jackie you know I want this baby. I love you, I want this baby."

"Alright. Ow," she winced, looking down as he started cleaning out her cuts. 

"Sorry."

"Yeah. I don't want to fight with you."

"I know." He added the band-aids to her hand and then pulled her towards him. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes as his other arm wrapped around her growing waist. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back. "I think we're both just really stressed out about everything."

"I know. I'm sorry too."

"Yeah." He kissed her and continued rubbing her back. "I'm gonna call my mom today, okay? I swear."

She nodded. "That's fine. Can we just go lay down first or something?"

"Sure. Let's go." She stood up and followed him into their bedroom. They both stretched out again under the comforter 

"I really do love you Jackie. And I'm sorry I flipped out on you today."

"I know. I love you too," she said, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes.

*     *     *     *

**Review? Please? ;)**

N**OTE**: Just wanted to make sure that you all knew that Mimi was bottle feeding Jaylynn, and not breast feeding her. I've done tons of research on just about everything medical or law related in this story, and obviously if Mimi breastfed Jaylynn, the HIV virus has a good chance of passing from the milk to the baby. So, I just wanted to let you all know that before I got any reviews questioning me about it, lol. 

  
  



	43. 43

CHAPTER 43 

Character recap:

Lisa: Mark's younger sister

Matt: Lisa's boyfriend

Noah: Lisa and Matt's seven-month-old son

Dan: Collins boyfriend

Harvey: Jackie's best friend, Maureen's boyfriend

*     *     *     *

**SEPTEMBER 7th**

"So what was up with Mark this morning? He seemed a little quiet."

Roger shrugged and stuck his foot out to hold the loft door open for Mimi. Jaylynn was sound asleep in the carrier that he was holding in his hand. "He and Jackie got into a fight last night. A pretty bad one."

Roger set the carrier down on the couch and Mimi unlatched the baby and picked her up. She stirred for a few seconds before settling back down to sleep again. "They've been fighting a lot lately."

"Yeah. I don't know what the deal is. I guess I should talk to him when I get a chance," he added. Jaylynn yawned against Mimi's shoulder. "I don't get how she sleeps that much. She's slept more than I have in a week since she was born."

Mimi laughed. "You've been sleeping until way past noon for the last two months, so don't even get me started. I haven't been able to sleep in forever."

"Sorry," he grinned. "What can I say, I'm a growing boy."

"Yeah, right. Remind me to buy you Huggies pull ups for you when I go to the store next time," she laughed, rolling her eyes. 

He shook his head at her. "No baby, we've gotta go to the store together so we can buy the condoms and giggle like a pair of teenagers over them. 'Oh my god, where DOES that go?"

"Considering Mark buys your condoms, I don't think that's appropriate. And they just sit there unused, which by the way, we really have to start using them."

"Yeah, I know. I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys 'R Us kid," he sang.

"Alright. Anyway," she said, ignoring him and rubbing Jaylynn's back. "I guess I should just put her in her bassinet." She looked back at him, unsure.

He nodded and followed her into the baby's room. "Yeah. I think so."

Mimi placed Jaylynn in her bassinet and turned the baby monitor on. She handed the portable to Roger and turned the volume up. 

"Penalty on the 34 yard line. Nice play by Davis. Look at him go. What a handsome guy. What was that? Over and out. Roger, Roger. Copy that," he joked. He cracked up at the look on Mimi's face.

"Please, do share whatever you're on this morning," she said seriously. She closed the baby's door a tiny bit and walked back out into the living room with him. 

He plopped down onto the couch and she curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He ran his hands through her hair for the next few minutes. "I can't believe we're parents."

"Tell me about it," she said quietly. "But I'm so attached to her that it'll be weird to not be her mother. Make any sense?"

Roger laughed. "Kind of."

"I'm tired."

"So take a nap."

"Where?"

He shrugged. "On me?" He stretched out on one end of the couch and she laid out on top of him. He then reached over her and grabbed the blanket and placed it over them. "Your belly's not there."

"Damn right it isn't. Finally," she giggled. 

"It just feels like it's missing. Kind of," he added.

"Yeah. But hey, at least there's no obstacle now."

He groaned. "Your stitches."

"Don't remind me."

"Does it hurt?" He wrapped his arm around her back.

She nodded. "I forget about them most of the time, but when I move around too much they hurt."

"Then I'm not letting you move around too much," he grinned. 

"My hero," she smiled as she kissed him softly. "You have to work tonight?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm home with my two favorite girls."

"Good," she yawned. "Night then."

"I'll get dinner when we wake up."

"Mmhmm," she mumbled, falling asleep quickly.

Roger looked down and kissed the top of her head before falling asleep himself.

*       *       *       *     

Mimi bolted upright in bed around two AM. She heard Jaylynn crying—more like screaming from the other room. She looked over and noticed that Roger's side was empty and completely cold. He had to have been out of bed for over an hour at least.

She walked out of their room and into the baby's room. Roger was pacing the room, half humming, and half singing to her to try and calm her down. "Come on Jay, what's wrong?"

Mimi walked in and yawned. "What's going on?"

Roger looked up at her. "I don't know. I changed her diaper twice. I fed her a bottle twice. I sang to her, I read to her, I even tried watching TV with her. I put her mobile on, and nothing. I don't get it," he said, frustrated.

"Here, let me take her. Roger slid the baby into Mimi's arms and she sat down in the rocking chair. "Hand me her bottle?" Roger did, and Mimi took it. "Roger, the bottle is freezing. Did you heat it up in the bottle warmer?"

Roger stared at her and shook his head. "Oh fucking shit, I forgot. I'm sorry Meems."

"Nah, it's okay. Just go stick this in the bottle warmer for a minute. Her stomach's just probably upset because it wasn't heated."

"Yeah. But I still feel like an idiot," he said.

Mimi started rubbing the baby's belly. "What's wrong Jaylynn? You giving your daddy a hard time already?" Jaylynn calmed down a little as Mimi rocked her.

Roger returned and handed the warm bottle back to Mimi. "Yeah. There, I think that's better," Mimi said. Jaylynn stopped crying instantly. 

"Thank god," Roger laughed. "I was ready to pull my hair out."

Mimi finished feeding the baby her bottle and when she was positive she was asleep, she placed her back in the bassinet and tucked the blankets in around her. 

"Let's just move her into our room tonight."

"Yeah. Good idea," Mimi answered. 

He pushed the bassinet carefully into their bedroom and onto his side of the bed before stretching out again across the bed. "When she wakes up again I'll get her. I want you to get some sleep."

Mimi nodded and yawned. "Thanks. Night baby."

He kissed the side of her cheek. "Night."

*    *    *    *

**SEPTEMBER 10th**

Jackie rolled onto her back and moved her head slightly to the left. "Mark? Are you still up?"

No answer.

She sat up and tried again. "Mark?" she whispered.

When he still didn't answer, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She passed into the kitchen, and when she realized they didn't have anything that resembled juice left in their fridge, she crossed over to Roger and Mimi's side to steal some from theirs.

She sat down on the barstool and scanned the dim loft. Roger and Mimi had to have been asleep, and Mark had been passed out for hours. She tapped her fingers on the island and noticed a fairly new pack of cigarettes sitting on the edge of the counter next to a lighter. Obviously Roger's. Unless Harvey had left them there and just completely forgotten about them, which wasn't likely. 

She stood up, grabbed one out of the package, and lit it. She took a drag and blew the smoke out into the room. Great, healthy habits Jackie. Wonderful.

"Better not let Mark catch you lighting up. He'll kick my ass for letting you steal them out of my pack."

She shrugged and looked over at Roger, blowing out more smoke in the process. "Yeah well, we'll be in shit together. What are you doing up?"

He sat at the barstool next to her and lit up his own cigarette. "Couldn't sleep. Plus I gave Jaylynn her bottle and she fell asleep on me again."

"Yeah. How's fatherhood treating the rocker in Roger Davis?"

He exhaled the smoke and ran a hand through his hair. "Pretty good. I wouldn't trade her for anything. Like I'll hold her and she'll look up at me with those eyes of hers and I can't even explain the feeling I get."

"Yeah," Jackie said quietly. "Soon enough you'll have two of them looking up at you."

"Uncle Roger, the babysitter," he laughed.

"Oh I can imagine," she smiled.

"Question."

Jackie crushed out her cigarette in the ashtray and looked up at him. "What?"

"Let's go someplace random and spontaneous so you can explain to me what's going on between you and Mark."

Jackie checked the clock on the wall. "It's 3 AM."

"So? I know a few places," he grinned. "Remember I used to be a night prowler."

"You win. Take me someplace good."

*     *     *     *

Jackie looked up at the building they were standing in front of. "I can't believe you brought me to a tattoo parlor," she groaned. "A twenty-four hour tattoo parlor at that."

Roger shrugged and opened the door, a bell dinging over their heads. "It's like killing two birds with one stone, whatever that means. I get my new tattoo done, and you get to sit, watch, and tell me your relationship dilemma with Mark. In an hour, the problem will be solved." He looked over at the man sitting at the counter, talking on the phone. "Hey Al."

Al looked up and hung up the phone with a bang. "Roger Davis, long time, no fucking see! How you been man?"

"Pretty good. Travis come in here last week?" Roger asked, referring to the bass player of the Hungarians. 

Al nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I did some wacky design on his shoulder. Seemed pretty happy with it."

"Yeah, he is. What kind of deal can you give me?"

Al looked at him seriously for a second. "For an even hundred, I'll give you whatever you want. What are you looking at?"

Roger dug out a piece of paper from his pants and handed it to him. "Something like that. Just the two names and the dates."

Al nodded and placed it on the counter. "Yeah, I can do that. Christ Davis, you got two ladies in your life now?"

Roger grinned at him. "Yeah, my wife and daughter."

"Get the fuck outta here! You trying to give me a heart attack or something? You haven't been in here for over a year and you come back married with a kid? Now that's cleaning up an act right there," Al laughed.

"Yeah. Been married for four months and my daughter was born five days ago. Figured I should get this done while I have a chance to."

Al looked over at Jackie. "Anything I can get for the little lady that came with you?"

Roger looked over at her. "You want anything?"

Jackie shook her head. "I already have one."

"Where?" Roger asked. "I've never seen it."

"It's on my lower back."

Roger laughed. "Yeah, I guess Mark's seen it."

"Hey honey, one ain't much these days!" Al laughed again. He stuck out his hand for her to shake. "Al DiManero. Nice to meet you."

"Jackie Ferrell."

"So you wanna get set up in the back or what, Davis? Because Tony's taking over my shift at 5."

Roger nodded and motioned for Jackie to follow him and Al. "Yeah."

*     *     *     *

"Alright Davis, you know the drill. Leave the bandage on until tomorrow morning, then wash it and apply Bacitracin a few times a day. Any questions, you know where to find me."

Roger nodded and pulled his shirt back over his head. "Thanks Al. I owe you one."

Al shook his head and closed the cash register drawer. "Nah man, it was good to see you again. You go anywhere else from now on I'll kick your ass," he laughed.

Roger grinned. "I'll see you Al. You should come over to the loft one time and meet Mimi and everything."

"Yeah. I'll give you a call later this week. Tell that crazy fucker Wes I've got another design he'd like."

"I will. Later Al."

Roger and Jackie headed out onto the street and started walking back towards the loft. They climbed the stairs in silence and Roger opened the door. "Hey, we made it back before 6 AM," he grinned. The expression on his face changed when he noticed a mass of people crowded into his living room. 

"I'm tired," Jackie smiled, but stopped when she noticed the look on his face as well. "Roger?" She squeezed in underneath his arm and paused on his other side.

"What's going on?"

Mimi was sitting on the couch, in between Maureen and Collins. He was holding Jaylynn and rocking her to sleep. Dan was perched next to him. Maureen had her head resting on Harvey's shoulder and her free hand linked through Mimi's. But what stood out to Roger the most was Mark, who was sitting on the floor numbly staring off into space. His eyes were visibly puffy, although he was trying to hide it well. 

When Mimi heard Roger's voice, she automatically walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his stomach. 

"Hey," he said softly, rubbing her back. "What's going on?"

Mark stood up and walked away into his side of the apartment. The loud slamming of the bedroom door that followed echoed throughout. Jackie turned to follow him but Dan stood up and softly grabbed her arm. 

"Honey don't."

"Why not?" she asked. 

"Lisa collapsed sometime early this morning. Matt found her a little over an hour ago, and they rushed her to the hospital. She's in renal failure," Collins added quietly. Maureen started crying and crushed her face into Harvey's shoulder. 

Roger continued holding Mimi and looked over at him. "What's that mean?"

"Kidney failure. She needs a donor or she won't make it through the next 72 hours," Dan said.

"Where's Noah?" Roger asked.

"In Jaylynn's crib sound asleep. I went down to get him before Matt left for the hospital with her," Maureen said, wiping at her eyes.

"So can they do anything for her?" Jackie asked. "Can't they get a kidney or something?"

Collins shrugged. "She's in the top ten on the donor list, but they want to try family first. Cindy can't because she's seven months pregnant, Mark's dad can't because of his recent heart attack, and Mark's mother's not a good match."

"Well then what about Mark?" Roger shifted his weight and pulled Mimi closer to him.

"The doctors think it would be risky because of the surgery he had on his abdomen. They don't want to endanger his life that way," Dan answered.

"So we wait and pray, although none of us are very religious," Collins said solemnly. 

"But we're losing Lisa. We can't lose her," Maureen sighed, starting to cry again. "There's too much death around here. Too many trips to the hospital."

"I know."

"I'm going to talk to him. I have to," Jackie said quickly. Before anyone could hold her back, she headed in the direction of Mark's bedroom.

*    *     *     *

"If it's love… she said 

_ "Then we're gonna have to think about the consequences."_

_'Cause she can't stop shaking_

_And I can't stop touching her and_

_This time, when kindness falls like rain_

_It washes her away. _

"Mark?"

Jackie peered into their bedroom. Mark was lying on the bed, his glasses near his feet and his back towards her and the door.

"What?"

His voice was harsh, cold, and uninviting. She didn't know when it had gotten so cold, but she couldn't stop from shaking as she approached him. 

"It'll be okay," she tried, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. 

"You don't know that."

"Mark I—"

He turned over and faced her. "Things haven't been right between us for awhile now, have they?"

Jackie stared at him. "I mean—we've had problems but we're okay. Right?"

"I don't know. I don't know what we are anymore."

"What?" Jackie blinked at him. "Mark—"

"I think we should spend some time apart."

_"These seconds when I'm shaking leave me_

_ shuddering for days" she says.  
And I'm not ready for this sort of thing  
But I'm not gonna break  
And I'm not going to worry about it anymore  
I'm not gonna bend, and I'm not gonna break _

_and I'm not gonna worry about it anymore_

  
  


"Mark you're upset because of your sister, you can't mean that—" A tear slid down Jackie's cheek and she wiped it away furiously.

"I don't know if it's right."

"What?"

"This. Us."

"So what am I supposed to be a single parent? No. This isn't the way it was supposed to work out," she said angrily. "I can't do this on my own."

"I know. _I know_," he said, closing his eyes. "I'm just confused."

"Were you confused when we had sex last night, too? Because I'm really fucking lost here Mark, and I don't know what to say to you right now."

But then I start to think about the consequences 

_Because I don't get any sleep in a quiet room_

"Jackie."

She shook her head and the tears started to fall. "No. You lied. You lied to me about everything. You promised me you would always be there for me. _You lied_."

He sat up and reached for his glasses. "I don't—"

"No. No," she sobbed. "You're not in love with me anymore. You don't love me."

"Jackie that's not true."

"Just stop fucking saying my name, okay? Because you're a liar. And I hate liars," she shot back at him.

She's my everything 

_She's my best friend and more_

_Before you go_

_You oughta know that_

_I didn't mean to hurt you_

_I just wanted you to know_

"Where are you going?"

"What does it matter?" she said softly. 

"I just need to take care of my family shit first. Okay?"

"Don't explain to me. You made your decision."  

  
Jackie left the room and bolted into the living room. She didn't particularly care if she fell flat on her face at the current moment. She wanted to disappear, and badly at that.

"Whoa, what happened?" Roger asked. 

"Jackie?" Harvey stood up and followed her out of the loft. "Slow down." He looked over his shoulder and heard Roger charging down the stairs after them.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and pressed herself against the brick wall. Harvey caught up to her and stopped in front of her. "It's over."

"What?"

"Forget it. It's over. We broke up."

Roger had caught up to them both and shook his head. "No. What the fuck? I'm going to kick the shit out of him."

Jackie crumpled against the wall and slid to the bottom. Harvey grabbed Roger by the arm and dragged him to the side. "I don't care what you say to him, but you fix this. You fucking go up there and talk some sense into him and fix it, because I can't stand to see her hurting like this. He's a bastard for dumping his pregnant girlfriend because he has some emotional shit to deal with. Tell him to stop being fucking selfish. You talk to him."

Roger nodded. "Yeah. I'll go now." Roger ran back up the stairs and Harvey sat down next to Jackie.

"It'll be okay, Jac. I know it will." He wrapped his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"But I didn't do anything wrong."

"He's just upset about everything, with his sister and all. He's not there emotionally. I bet you he doesn't know what he's doing."

"Harvey?"

"Yeah?"  
  


"I'm gonna throw up. Move it or lose it," she moaned. 

Harvey rubbed her back as she finished. "Let's go back to my place, okay? You can get some sleep and I'll tell Maureen to grab a few of your things and bring it over. You can stay with me until shit gets settled."

Jackie nodded and stood up. "Thanks."

"Can't let you be miserable by yourself, now can I? You can even eat everything in my kitchen. We'll watch horrible chick flicks all night. Deal?"

Jackie shrugged. "I guess."

Harvey kissed the top of her head and they walked towards the subway station. "You'll be okay Jac. Lisa's gonna be okay, and Mark's gonna be okay. We'll all get through this, even if we have to kick, bite and scream our way through it."

Jackie said nothing as she watched the moonlight catch the diamond in her engagement ring. Without much effort, she slid it off her finger and pocketed it as they passed through the turn style.

Black tears are falling down her face And I am wrong 

_Black tears are falling_

_And she won't say what I've done                 _

She's sitting here beside me 

_Then she's gone_

_Black tears are falling, falling._

*     *     *     *

**Review? Please do! :)**

**And don't be too mad at me! I promise things will be okay between them again, you'll just have to wait and see!**

Lyrics:

Counting Crows: "Anna Begins"

Ben Folds: "Losing Lisa"     


	44. 44

CHAPTER 44

Taking steps back through the words 

_I should have said to you_

_They all got lost_

_You went away_

Mark flipped onto his back and focused on the ceiling. It had been four days since he had last seen Jackie. It had been the longest time he had spent away from her in the eight months they had been together, and every minute that passed on the clock jarred his heart a little bit more. How could he have been such an idiot?

Mark Cohen, you're a fuck up.

He tried adjusting himself on the bed, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep without her. He was used to her breath softly blowing onto his cheek in the middle of the night. He missed the way her hair would fan out across the pillows and how she would struggle to tie it back laying down, only to realize that she'd have to sit up anyway to do it properly. He missed their hilarious arguments over who go to wear which pair of his boxers before they went to sleep. How they'd lay in bed in the morning, neither of them wanting to get up without the other. 

Well I feel sick 

_And you just don't care anymore_

_I wish to be with you_

_Minutes of me and you_

_I can't feel this happening_

He had to admit he hadn't been taking care of himself the last few days. Lisa had been admitted to the renal unit and was on and off dialysis. He was spending the majority of his days at the hospital with his parents and Cindy, and when he wasn't there he was at work. _Or sleeping alone_. 

When he was home, he spent the rest of the day vegetating or typing away on his laptop for work. He barely saw Roger or Mimi, let alone their baby. He figured that if he was meant to grow up as a miser, he might as well get a head start while he's at it.

You face is on a billboard 

_And you're everywhere_

_You're gone you're gone you're gone _

_You're gone, away_

_If you don't like being hurt _

_Then please don't stay_

He'd meant to call Jackie, he really had, but every time he picked up the phone to dial her cell number, he backed out. One time he really had needed to hear her voice, so he let if ring long enough for her to pick up.

"Hello?" she had said. 

She sounded tired, exhausted maybe, but she had never sounded more beautiful to him. She hung up soon after.

There is nothing left for me to give I wish I could 

_And I know that I should_

But you know I won't 

Mark flipped onto his stomach and buried his face into the pillow. As he opened one eye, he noticed the photograph of himself and Jackie, snapped one early morning by Roger. They were lying in bed together, half awake. His arm was around her waist and she was laughing at something he had said. 

He reached over and picked the picture up. He stared at it for a final second before flinging it at the wall in anger. The frame shattered, and the glass caught the lamplight and reflected onto the wall.

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to see her, but he couldn't move from the spot he was in. 

Excuses, excuses Mark.

*      *      *      *

"You don't want anything else to eat?"

Jackie looked down at the chicken salad she was picking at and shook her head. "Nope. I'm fine."

"Alright." Harvey paused the movie and stood up in the direction of the door. "I'll get it."

She nodded and stood up as well. "I need a bathroom break anyway."

He jogged over to the door and pulled it open. Maureen was standing on the other side dressed in sweatpants, sneakers, and a cutoff tee shirt. Her curly hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she was yawning. "Hey," she greeted. 

"Hey." He leaned over to kiss her and pulled her inside. 

Maureen peeked into the living room. "How is she?"

Harvey shrugged at her. "She's okay. Not bad, but not all that great either. We were watching Pretty in Pink before and she just started crying hysterically in the middle of it. So, she decided on Saving Private Ryan, and that's what we've been watching for the last hour."

"Promoting violence, huh?" she teased. 

"Yeah well, it's a pretty good movie. As long as something gets her mind off of him, she's okay. Not that I care much, but how is he doing?"

"Behave," she frowned. "He's not good either. I've barely seen him at all. He's been at the hospital for a good chunk of the day and then at work for the other. Then he comes back to the loft and Roger says he mopes around for the rest of the night until he falls asleep. He won't really talk to anyone. Collins has been really the only one to get through to him."

"Yeah. So where are you going?" he asked, finally taking in her appearance.

"To the gym with Mimi, then out to an early dinner. She wants to fit into her regular clothes again by Halloween."

"She didn't gain that much."

"Yeah, but still, she's sensitive about it. So Roger's home alone with Jaylynn doing the single parenting thing for the afternoon."

"Ouch," Harvey laughed. 

"Hey, he's gotten better at it. He's only put on her diaper backwards three times this week."

"That's progress, I guess."

Maureen smiled and kissed him again. "Okay, well I better get going. Tell Jackie I said hi."

"Yeah, I will. Sorry we haven't been able to hang out lately."

She nodded. "I understand, but after this all blows over you owe me a few dates," she laughed.

"Yeah yeah. Now get out of my apartment."

"Nice way to talk to your girlfriend. Bye."

He kissed her a final time before shutting the door. "Bye."

*      *      *      *

"Mark." 

Roger banged on the door. "Mark, open the fucking door."

"What do you want?"

"Collins got food and left it here on his way to class. You wanna come out and eat it with me?"

"Not particularly."

"Fine." Roger stalked away from the door. He looked over at Jaylynn, who was waving her tiny hand in the air from her swing. "I guess you're hungry too, huh?"

She only stared at him and blinked before yawning. He picked her up and stretched out on the couch with her, trying to balance feeding her a bottle and eating french fries at the same time.

Mimi walked in and dropper her purse on the floor, closing the door behind her. "Hey. How was she?" She sat down on the couch next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, yawning. 

"Hey. She was pretty good. She woke up right after you left."

She reached over and stole some fries out of the bag. "God I'm starving."

"Didn't you go eat with Maureen?"

She shook her head and took a sip of his soda. "Nope. After the gym we brought Lisa some flowers and visited her at the hospital. Matt brought Noah with him after his class right after we got there, so we left because we figured they needed some time to spend alone."

Roger nodded. "Yeah. So how is she?"

"Not good. She looked really tired. Its' taking a lot out of her. How's Mark?"

"I don't know. He's being a pain in the ass again. I tried to get him to come out and eat with me but he wouldn't."

"Has he gone to see Jackie? Or has she come to see him?"

Roger shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Dammit," Mimi sighed. She took the baby from Roger and started burping her. "I'm gonna try to get her to sleep after this, because she kept me up all last night."

Roger handed her the rest of his food. "You should have woke me up. I could have handled her."

"Yeah I know, but you didn't get home until late, so I didn't want to." She yawned and stood up, dragging Roger with her. "Come lay down with me?"

"You got it," he grinned.

Mimi rejoined him on the bed after she put Jaylynn in her bassinet. She set the baby monitor on the nightstand and rolled over onto her side to face him. "Your hair's getting darker."

He pulled her closer to him and linked his hand through hers. "Yeah I know. I just don't have the time to bleach it again."

"I could do it later for you?" she suggested, running her other hand through it.

He shrugged. "Nah, it's not that important. I'll do it eventually."

"Alright babe. Whatever you want."

He sat up and pulled off his shirt. "I've got something to show you."

She laughed and pointed at the gauze on his back. "Baby, that's just so sexy."

He rolled his eyes at her before pulling the bandage off. "Yes or no?"

Mimi smiled when she saw the tattoo. "I love it. Didn't it hurt?"

He shook his head and kissed her again, pulling his shirt back on. "Nah. Not too bad. But I'm glad you like it, because it would be a pain in the ass to get it removed," he smirked.

"It means a lot to me," she added, wrapping her arm around his chest when he laid back down. 

"I know. That's part of why I did it. Because I want to show everyone that you're mine and nothing's ever gonna change that."

"Thank you," she smiled, closing her eyes. "Did you talk to your mom?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She wants us to come over and visit, but I told her that I'd check with you first."

"I kind of want to get Jaylynn into a better sleeping routine before I bring her all the way to Scarsdale. But tell her that she and whoever can come up whenever they want to."

"Okay baby. I'll tell her. Did you get a hold of your mom yet?"

"Nope. And you won't believe where she is."

"Where?"

"Argentina. Again. I called my sister Carmen and she told me that she was gonna be down there until the first week of November with Carl and my other sister Veronica. Something about Carl signing on as a partner to my uncle Juan's business and them renting out a house down there."

Roger looked over at her. "So what are they moving?"

"Not exactly. If it all works out, which it most likely will, Carl's going to run the Manhattan office, and Juan will run the one in Buenos Aires. Then of course they'll be the fucking business trips back and forth. I wouldn't be surprised if my mother already has a regular house picked out down there, plus a beach house."

"I'm really sorry baby."

She rolled her eyes. "What are you sorry for? At least your parents want to see their granddaughter. My mother and stepfather couldn't give a shit. She hasn't even called to see how I was doing yet. She only sent me a card with a nice, fat check in it. Like fucking compensation money. Oh my god, I don't even want to talk about this anymore, I'm never going to fall asleep," she complained, burying her face in the pillow.

"I'm sure she'll be around to see us sometime, Meems. And even if she doesn't, you don't fucking need them, right? Come on," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "It's gonna be okay. I promise." He kissed the top of her head. 

"Yeah. I guess."

"So what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"What do you mean? I thought you had to go to the studio with the guys?"

"Nope. We're doing that tonight, so tomorrow is just a you and me day. We can get someone to watch Jay and go out to dinner, catch a movie, or something. Whatever you want."

"You mean that?"

He laughed at her. "Why the hell wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. It's kind of weird that you just have a day off," she smiled. "But I'm not complaining."

"Alright. So we'll decide tomorrow morning when we get up."

She nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. Just don't make it a late night."

"I won't. I'll be home by midnight, latest. Even if they try to keep me there."

"Okay."

Roger looked over at the baby monitor as Jaylynn's cries started filling the room. "I'll get her."

Mimi nodded. "Just bring her back in here. We'll let her sleep on the bed with us. Because I really want to lay down with you, and I don't want you to have to sit up with her."

He brought the baby into their room and set her down in between them. Mimi smiled as Jaylynn attached her hand around one of Roger's fingers. "I think you got an early birthday present this year."

He smiled down at them both. "Yeah. I definitely did. But what else are you getting me?"

"Well hmm, if the doctor says it's okay, you might be getting a good present on October 12th, baby," she laughed. "Just for turning the big 27 and all."

"Ugh, I'm getting old."

"Hah, I'm not!" she laughed.

"Shut up, you'll be 22 before you know it."

"Yeah true. But at least I can still live it up for now."

Roger laughed and closed his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Mimi smiled and flipped onto her back, but then frowned. "Oh my god Roger, was that you?"

"What? Oh. Ew, no!"

"She's all yours."

"No way. Your turn."

"Do it or you're celibate for another six weeks after these are up."

"Not that you can last the long, but you win. Come on kid, you stink," he said, making a face as he picked Jaylynn up and carried her into her room. 

"Well that was romantic!" she shouted after him.

"Oh you know it!"

*      *     *      *

Jackie took a deep breath as she walked up the stairs to the loft. Technically she could do this. She was going to go in, grab a few things, leave, and come back eventually for the rest. Right?

She shoved her key into the lock and pushed the door open. So far, so good. Christ, she felt like she was on some espionage mission. She quietly closed the door and walked down the hall towards the kitchen. She didn't see Mark anywhere, so she automatically assumed he wasn't at home. Good timing.

She passed the couch and grabbed a stack of papers off the coffee table. That was part of the reason she had come here—she couldn't find the file for the script she had to send off to her boss. Thank god maternity leave was coming up in a few short weeks. 

She turned around and looked up, only to find him lying right in front of her. He was asleep on their couch, the ratty blanket pulled up to his chest. His glasses were on the floor, along with a box of tissues and numerous ones that were crumbled up on the floor. A box of Tylenol Cold and Flu was near his feet and he was breathing heavily. 

She sighed and crouched onto the floor in front of him and placed her hand on his head. He was burning up. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead softly. "Mark."

His eyes fluttered open and he stared at her. "Um. Hey. Jackie," he whispered before coughing into his fist. "Hi."

"Hi," she answered. 

He struggled to sit up. "Sorry about the mess."

"It's fine. How are you?"

He looked at her and shrugged. "I'm—sick?" he half smiled. "How are you? And um, the baby?"

"We're okay. But you don't look so good."

"No shit," he coughed. 

"Well what do you have?"

"A cross between bronchitis and the flu."

Jackie nodded and placed her hand on his head again. "You're pretty warm. Can I get you anything?"

"You don't have to make me anything."

"Mark don't be difficult."

He sighed. "I don't deserve anything. I didn't think you'd ever want to see me again after what I did to you."

"Mark…"

"No, but seriously. I was a fucking prick; okay I was worse than a fucking prick to you. You don't deserve that. You probably could get anyone better than me and be happy with them. I don't deserve you after what I said—what I did," he reminded her.

Jackie didn't know what to say, so instead she listened and propped her head up against the couch. 

"But it's not like you'd ever take me back, because oh, I'm an asshole. I have to always fuck things up, and I did. I fucked the one thing up that I thought was unfuckupable. I did. I'm such a bastard. I really hate myself."

She smiled and started laughing.

"What?" He looked at her. "You're laughing at me aren't you?"

"Yeah, kind of. I mean, you're rambling nonstop. It's pretty adorable."

"So now I'm an adorable bastard?" he groaned.

"Sure. I guess you could say that," she smiled. She grabbed the box of pills and handed him two along with the glass of water that was resting on the table. "Here."

He swallowed them and handed it back to her. "Thanks."

"Yeah. Mark, you're not a bastard."

"Yes I am. I mean, come on, I did all that—"

"Shut up," she laughed. "Oh my god, I hope our kid isn't going to start talking my ear off at six weeks old," she joked.

"Or throwing a camera in your face," he grinned.

"Oh no, that's completely off limits."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

They just stared at each other before Mark opened his arms. "Come here." Jackie nodded and rested her head on his shoulder and he stared rubbing her back. "I really am sorry, you know that?"

She nodded. "I know. Just don't do it again, okay?"

"I swear, I'll never do that again. Ever. I promise."

"Alright," she said. 

"I'd kiss you right now, but I'm probably contagious," he said, scrunching his nose up.

"Yeah. But I can deal with that," she laughed. "You can wait a few days to kiss me, right?"

"I guess," he coughed again, turning his head away from her. "Probably."

"So I guess I'm staying here tonight?"

"Considering I'm not letting you out of my sight—ever again," he teased. "I'd say you're stuck with me for the rest of forever."

"Oh but Mr. Cohen, that's so tempting," she winked at him. 

"I finished it."

"Finished what?"

"The baby's room."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's all painted. Light blue, white trim. Now all we need is the furniture."

"Definitely." She looked over at the clock on the wall. "I better call Harvey before he sends out the search and rescue team for me."

"Save you from big, bad Cohen, right?"

"Something like that," she grinned.

_In diapers, report cards_

_In spoked wheels, in speeding tickets_

In contracts, dollars In funerals, in births 

_Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes_

_How do you figure_

_A last year on earth?_


	45. 45

CHAPTER 45

Refresher on some characters:

**Cindy**: Mark's older sister. She's currently eight months pregnant with her third child and has two other children: **Anthony**, who's 7, and **Rachel**, who's 4.

**Adam**: Cindy's husband

And thank you so so much to all my reviewers. Without you all I would have never gotten as far as I have with this. I know I don't thank you enough, so **THANK YOU**. I love you guys.

333

*      *      *      *

"Roger, I said no."

"Mimi, come on."

Mimi crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "I'm not letting you take our one month old daughter to the studio."

"Practice at the studio. There's a difference."

Mimi groaned and set her glass down on the kitchen counter. "Roger, Evan's a pothead."

Roger laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Baby, Evan's not a pothead."

She rolled her eyes and pulled away from him. "No, he just smokes pot like a fucking chimney."

"I told you he hasn't smoked in two months. Lauren's been trying to get him to quit."

"Yeah, okay."

"Please baby?"

Mimi pushed him away from her as he started to pout. "Well who's going to watch her when you're practicing?"

"Um."

"Exactly. So why don't I just bring her by for a little bit or something? So Wes and Travis can win whatever bet they have going on and I can collect the rest of the baby pool money."

Roger stared at her and laughed. "You know about that?"

"Yeah. Travis called, looking for you, and I overheard Wes talking about it in the background."

"Oh. So can you bring her? Come on baby, I have to show her off to everybody. Please?" he begged, getting down on his knees.

"You're so pathetic, Davis. Fine. Let me just get her ready and we'll go, okay?"

"Thanks. You're the best."

"Uh huh," she smiled and kissed him. "Just do me a favor and grab one of her bottles from the fridge and stick it in the bag for me? Because I'll feed her there, I guess."

"Sure."

"And Roger, no smoking. At all around her. Especially now. I'm serious," she warned him.

He nodded. "Okay okay. I promise. I'll even remove Evan's stash from his guitar case."

"What?!"

Roger laughed again. "Relax baby, I'm only kidding. He doesn't keep his stash anywhere. Jesus."

"Fine." 

*      *      *      *

"What are you doing out here so late?"

Jackie looked over her shoulder at Mark and blew out the smoke into the air. "Nothing. Sitting. Trying to get comfortable."

He nodded and walked over to her, taking the cigarette out of her hand. "You need to quit."

She shrugged and rested her chin on top of her knees. "I know."

He studied her for a minute before crushing the cigarette in the ashtray. He was starting to pick up that she only smoked when she was nervous, upset, or thinking about something, and he assumed tonight was one of those nights. "You okay?"

"Yup. I'm fine."

He sat down next to her and linked his hand through hers. She had put her engagement ring back on—or rather he had—the day after she moved back in, and he was really grateful for that, because he knew when she walked out on him that day there was a good chance that she would have never walked back in. "So tell me how much Lamaze class was a pain in the ass tonight."

She rolled her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "I told you that would be such a waste of money. Now I know why Mimi and Roger didn't go."

Mark laughed and ran his fingers through her shoulder length blonde hair. "Could you honestly picture Roger in a room full of pregnant women? I think Mimi was enough for him. Plus you, but you weren't there all the time so he could deal."

"So what are you saying? That I'm intolerable?" she smiled. 

"Sometimes?" he smirked. Just as he leaned in to kiss her, the phone rang. "Damn. Who calls at 1 AM?" he groaned, standing up and walking through the patio doors into the living room.

Jackie stood up slowly and followed. "Mark I have some advice for you. Never get pregnant." She looked up and watched him carry out the conversation on the phone. His words were jumbled and he looked unnerved, to say the least.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can. Yeah. Love you too. Okay, bye." He hung up the phone and stared at her.

"What? Who was that?" she asked, yawning.

"My mom."

"Is everything okay?"

"Um. I don't know. She said that they found a good match for Lisa and they're prepping her for the transplant right now. They're flying the kidney in from Philadelphia." He finished pulling his shoes on.

"So that's good, right? She'll be okay now?"

"If everything goes okay. She'll be on anti rejection medication for the rest of her life, but she'll be okay."

Jackie smiled and kissed him. "So let's go then."

"You sure you don't want to stay here? We'll be sitting around waiting for probably five hours while she's in surgery."

"Whatever you want."

Mark looked at the clock on the wall. "Why don't you just stay here and I'll call you when she gets out? Because you're tired and I want you to be able to get some rest."

She nodded. "Okay, that's fine. But call me and let me know what's going on."

"I will. And if Roger's up, let him know too, okay?"

He kissed her a final time before leaving the apartment. Yawning, she crossed over to Roger's apartment. He was sitting on the couch sound asleep with his mouth hanging open. Jaylynn was propped up in his arms and she was sleeping as well. 

She lightly shook his shoulder. "Roger."

His head shot up and he stared at her. "What?" he yawned. "I fell asleep didn't I? I gotta stop doing that."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you or anything, but Mark just left for the hospital. Lisa's getting her transplant."

"Really? Wow, that's great. So she'll be okay?"

Jackie nodded. "Yeah, it looks like it. She probably won't be home for a few weeks, but she'll be okay."

"Yeah. I feel bad for her though. She hates hospitals as much as I do, and she's been in one for about a month already."

Jackie looked down at the baby. "Want me to get her to bed for you? I kind of need the practice anyway."

He nodded and stood up, stretching his arms out. "Yeah, go for it. December's gonna be here before we all know it."

Jackie picked up Jaylynn and rested her against her shoulder. "Night Roger."

"Night." He set Jaylynn's bottle on the coffee table. "Hey question. Are you and Mark ever gonna get married, now that you two are okay again?"

Jackie shrugged. "Eventually. After I have the baby. Don't know when," she smiled. "Why?"

"Just wondering. Well—" he said in mid yawn. "Goodnight."

"Night rock star. Don't let the bedroom door hit you on your ass."

"Oh fuck me, I almost forgot how funny you try to be."

"You better watch it or you're getting nothing from me for your birthday, let alone Christmas."

He grabbed his chest. "Ouch that was a good one. Hurt me right here," he winced.

She gave him the finger. "Get to bed." 

He grinned and ducked into his bedroom and Jackie put Jaylynn in her bassinet.

*      *      *      *

"Hey. Did you get here okay?"

Jackie nodded and Mark kissed her before wrapping his arm around her back. "I had a conversation about shopping with the cab driver. Go figure. You Americans are weird."

He smiled and they headed towards the elevators. "Get any sleep?"

"Kind of. My back hurts, and his feet are all over. Maureen wants me to go shopping with her later, something about getting Roger a present, so I got this great idea."

"For Roger?" Mark punched the button for the surgery floor. 

"Hell no. For me. There's this thing called a feather bed or whatever, and basically it's like an extra mattress but not really. Sort of like a comforter filled with down feathers. It's supposed to be really comfortable, and I could use that. Or we could use it."

"So you're buying it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I guess I'm not that comfortable to sleep on anymore?"

She smiled and followed him down the surgery corridors. "Didn't say that. What are you getting Roger for his birthday?"

"Umm. Haven't really thought about it," he said sheepishly. "He's hard to buy anything for. I guess I'll talk to Mimi about it."

"I already did. She doesn't know what to get him either," Jackie laughed.

"Well we're screwed then." Mark paused outside of the waiting room. Both of his parents had disappeared, probably to the cafeteria. A very pregnant Cindy was holding Rachel on her lap and reading a book to her. 

"So if there's green eggs and ham, why can't there be blue eggs? And you don't eat ham with eggs, Mommy. That's gross," Rachel said, making a face. "Uncle Mark! Mommy look!"

Mark smiled and pulled Jackie in with him. "Hey Rach. What are you reading?"

"Green eggs and ham," she said, hopping off of Cindy's lap and running over to show him the book.

"Awesome. One of my favorites," Mark answered. "When did you get here?"

"Um, like three hours ago?" Rachel shrugged, now seated on the floor by Cindy's feet.

Cindy laughed and rolled her eyes. "Adam dropped her off when you went downstairs. He has to get Anthony from soccer practice."

"Oh." Mark looked over at Jackie and noticed she was staring uncomfortably at the wall. "Hey Cind, you remember Jackie, right?"

Cindy looked over and smiled. "I think I met you at Roger's wedding."

"Yeah, probably."

Mark cleared his throat. "So where are Mom and Dad?"

"In the recovery room with Lisa. She just got out of surgery about five minutes ago. She's doing great, her doctor and the surgeons say that she's accepting the kidney pretty well. They just want to wait for the anesthesia to wear off before they set her up in a private room."

"So that's good?"

"Obviously," Cindy laughed sarcastically. "Honestly Jackie, I don't understand how you put up with him. He asks about a million questions for everything," she teased. "That is if he ever gets the camera out from under his nose."

"Hey, I've gotten better. And for your information, my camera hasn't been under my nose since last year. I actually have a job now," he shot back, grinning.

Jackie smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "His camera's still under his nose. Sort of."

*      *      *      *

Lisa groggily opened her eyes and the fuzziness in her vision started to clear. She moved her head to the side and groaned. "Holy shit, I almost die and when I wake up, the first person I see just so happens to be Roger Davis. Must be my lucky day."

Roger grinned and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Flowers for you," he said, pointed to the bouquet placed on the nightstand.

She smiled at him. "Thanks. Didn't know you had it in you."

"You must be feeling better if you're making fun of me."

She shook her head. "No, it's just payback for all the years you used to make fun of me when we were growing up." She closed her eyes again. "So where's my dysfunctional family?"

"Cafeteria? I think. Your fans were getting hungry," he smirked. "You were keeping us on the edge there for a little bit. You took a little longer than the doctors expected to wake up."

"So you volunteered to stay with me? How sweet."

"Nah, just had nothing better to do. And I wasn't hungry." 

"I would really hit you right now if I could lift my arm off the bed without it feeling like it weighs an extra twenty pounds," she warned.

"So how do you feel?"

"Really out of it. Sore. Did you bring Mimi and Jaylynn with you?"

Roger shook his head. "Nah, Jay was napping when I left, so Mimi said she'd try to stop by tomorrow and see how you're doing."

Lisa looked over and saw the rest of the gang walk in. There were more flowers, food, and a balloon. "Seriously. I get a balloon for getting a kidney. You are all a bunch of losers," she laughed with everyone else.

Mark's mother Eva leaned over the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Feeling better?"

She nodded. "Much."

"Good. Because I think someone's been missing you," Eva smiled, holding Lisa's eight-month-old baby, Noah. 

"Hey little man," Lisa looked up, running her hand down his back. "Was he good?"

Matt nodded and sat down on the edge of her bed. "He was great. Slept for me, woke up at a semi normal time. He was good."

"That's good."

Mark laughed. "How about having him come over and talk to Jaylynn about her sleeping habits?"

"Shut up. She's not that bad," Roger grinned. "You better watch it if you still want to be her uncle."

*      *      *      *

"Happy birthday to you…"

Mimi crawled onto Roger and straddled his lap. "Happy birthday to you…" she whispered in his ear, trying to wake him up. 

"I could get used to this," Roger grinned, sitting up and yawning before wrapping his arms around her back.

"Uh huh. So could I," she winked. "Happy birthday dear Roger…"

He kissed her and pulled her back down with him as he stretched out. "Happy birthday to me," he finished, kissing her neck. "But I think the birthday boy wants to get some more sleep."

"Hmm, sounds like a good idea, but I think our daughter might have some other plans," she said, pointing to the baby monitor.

He shook his head. "Uh uh. No it's my birthday," he pouted. 

Mimi rested her head on his chest. "I don't think she understands the concept of a birthday. Plus you think your birthday is a fucking holiday."

"True. Now what did you get me?" he grinned, sitting up again and pulling her onto his lap.

"You're an ass," she laughed. 

"What? My ass is sexy? What?" he whispered in her ear as he started kissing her shoulder.

"Ew. You're slobbering all over me," she giggled, pushing his chest away. "Come on. Get up."

"Let me think about it. No," he smiled, pulling her back down on top of him. "Go back to sleep."

"I would if I could, but someone's hungry," she pouted as he ran his hands up the back of her shirt.

"Are we decent?" Mark asked through the door.

"Nope, I'm totally naked, but come on in," Roger said happily. Mimi rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, we are. Come on in," Mimi added.

Mark walked in with Jaylynn. "One pre fitted party hat for the birthday boy." He tossed the hat at him with his free hand. 

"Oh Marky, you shouldn't have," Roger laughed. He placed the hat on his head and winked at Mimi. "How do I look?"

Mimi laughed and crawled out of the bed. She took Jaylynn from Mark and kissed the top of the baby's head. "Look how silly Daddy is. Hard to believe he's related to you, huh?" she smiled.

"It's hard to believe anyone's related to him," Mark grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Were you good for Uncle Mark?" Mimi asked Jaylynn. She just smiled in response when Mimi started tickling her stomach.

He nodded. "She was great. I fed her so you guys could get some more sleep. I'd say she's happy now, she spit up all over Maureen when she held her."

Roger stifled a laugh. "She knows the enemy."

Mimi shoved him again. "Roger!"

"Sorry baby. You know I love Mo."

"Yeah right." Mimi rolled her eyes. Jaylynn reached out her hand in the air in Roger's direction. "You want to go to Daddy? Try to be nice to him, he gets grumpy when he doesn't think he's loved," she teased.

Roger kissed Jaylynn on the cheek as he picked her up. "She's gonna share the Roger love over here. Love love me do, you know I love you, I'll always be true, so please love me do," he sang to her.

Mimi covered her ears and rested her head against Mark's shoulder. "Make it stop," she whined.

Roger stopped and frowned. "I thought you liked it when I sing?"

"I do. But you have a paper birthday hat on right now and you're singing the Beatles. You're traumatizing her," Mimi pointed out.

"Am not. She likes it."

"Uh huh."

The doorbell rang just then. "I'll get it," Mark called out to no one in particular. He picked up Jaylynn and carried her into the living room with him.

Mimi leaned over and gave Roger a kiss as she passed, only before snapping the string on his chin.

"Ow!" he laughed. "What was that for?"

"Being _too_ good for your own good."

"Roger! Wes and Lori are here!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." Roger slid out of bed and pulled on a shirt over his boxers.

Mimi kissed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Happy birthday baby. I love you."

"I love you too," he smiled up at her. "I really do."


	46. 46

CHAPTER 46

A/N: It's Halloween in this chapter. I'm trying to nail all the important holidays/celebrations around the time when they're really supposed to happen in the real world, but obviously it's tough to do that. So, here's a late Halloween chapter! 

And as always, thanks for the reviews!

*      *      *      *

Mimi walked into Jaylynn's room with her bottle in hand. She lifted the baby out of her bassinet and sat down in the rocking chair. "It's a little late for this, Jay. Mommy's tired," she yawned.  After Jaylynn finished the bottle she took her out into the living room and sat her down in the swing, where she dozed off almost automatically. She settled the blanket around her and sat back down on the couch, tucking her feet underneath her. 

It _was_ late, a little after one. It was funny how she actually considered one am late now. Before she would have been lucky if she had gotten back to her apartment before six am. 

But things had changed over the last year, more than she would have ever thought possible. Everything was very different. She was different. She wasn't the Mimi Marquez that she used to be. She hadn't been to a good party since she first found out she was pregnant. She only drank occasionally now, and even when she did, she usually took a few sips of whatever Roger was having and left it at that. She had been through withdrawal and survived her addiction. Hell, she wasn't even Mimi Marquez anymore. She was Mimi **Davis**. 

_She and Roger had made it, finally._

She pulled the blanket up around her and settled her chin on the arm of the couch. Angel had been gone for one year today. One year. 525, 600 minutes. It had been the first time in a long time that she had actually taken the initiative to sit down and think about her. The last time she had done this was right after Christmas. Roger was out with Wes, and she had been home with Mark. They spent the rest of the night looking through photo albums and remembering.

She might as well do that tonight.

She leaned forward and pulled out the one heavy photo album that contained all of their pictures. Every single one of them. 

But when she rested it on her lap, she couldn't open it. It didn't feel right. Not without—

The door opened and Roger walked in. "Hey," he greeted. Once he pulled off his boots, he pulled something out of his pocket. "Happy early Halloween morning." He tossed a Snickers bar at her and it landed in her lap.

She looked down at it and placed it to the side. "Thanks," she said quietly. 

"Are you okay?" He frowned slightly at her.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm just doing too much thinking." She stood up and walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned into his chest. 

"Well don't think too much, okay?" He said, kissing her lightly.

"I know. How was work?"

He shrugged and picked up Jaylynn, rocking her slowly against his shoulder. "Crowded. Boring."

She smiled at this. "How can it be crowded and boring?"

"It just was. I wanted to be home and not there."

Mimi walked into their bedroom and curled up underneath the sheets. Roger came in about a minute later with the baby monitor. He set it on its usual place on the nightstand and quickly stripped down to his boxers and crawled in next to her. His arm found her hip and he pulled her in close, and she settled her head on his chest.

"What's bothering you?"

She shrugged and looked up at him. But when she did so, all the emotions that she had been holding back came flooding to the surface and she was done for. Her eyes started watering and a lump formed in her throat. She rolled off him and flat back onto the pillows and started crying.

Roger sat up, his eyes wide. "Whoa Mimi, what's wrong? It's okay, it's okay, I promise," he said softly.

She sat up and collapsed into his arms as he rubbed her back. "No, it's not okay," she sobbed. "It's not."

"What's not okay?" he asked.

That only made her cry harder. "I don't—I don't want to die. I don't want you to die. Because if I go, if I'm not here, I'll miss her. I'll miss everything about her. I won't make it to see her first boyfriend. I won't make it to her prom. She's gonna get married without me telling her how beautiful she looks. She'll graduate high school without me telling her how proud I am of her. And it's all because of some stupid, fucked up mistakes that I made before I had her. It's not fair. Why can't I? All these other parents are going to see their kids grow up and be happy and I can't see that. I can't, Roger. I want to be able to, but I can't. Because I know I'm never going to make it that far. And it kills me to know that one day I'm going to have to say goodbye to her, and I won't be ready for it. I can't say goodbye to her. I can't say goodbye to you," she cried into his chest.

Roger didn't know what to say to her to make her feel any better, partially because he felt the same exact way. They weren't going to make it much farther past her early teens—and that was if they were lucky. It killed him too, and the only way he made himself feel better about it was to not think about it much—if at all. There'd be a time and a place where yeah, he'd have to sit down and be forced to think about it, but that day wasn't today. They were both healthy as they could possibly be with the virus. They weren't going anywhere fast. They still had years left. And that's all he could tell her for now.

"Shh, baby, it's okay. She's gonna be beautiful no matter what happens. Because you know what? She's never gonna be alone. She's going to have Mark, and Jackie. Plus Maureen and Harvey. And she'll have Collins and Dan too. For as long as they have left, she'll always have them. Plus my mom, my dad, and my sister. Lisa and Matt, too. She's gonna have all these people surrounding her and giving her all of this love that's she never going to be alone. Never. She'll always have us, too. Because no matter when we die, there's gonna be pictures, and stories to tell, and tons of memories that we're going to make with her. She'll never forget us, baby. Never. I promise. I love you. Okay?" He kissed her softly and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "I love you."

She nodded and calmed down a little at his words. "I know. I love you too. So much, Roger. I love you," she whispered. 

"I know, baby. I know." He kissed her and pulled her back down on the bed with him. "I'm gonna bring her in her and let her sleep with us tonight, okay?"

Mimi nodded and let him slide out of bed. Roger returned with the baby. She was awake, but calm. He set her down in between them and tucked the blanket around her. "Did Daddy wake you up?" 

Jaylynn attached her hand to Mimi's finger as Roger rubbed her tiny stomach. "I wonder if she actually knows what you're saying."

Mimi laughed and rolled her eyes. "No more then you do when I wake you up in the morning to take your pills."

Roger grinned and kissed her. "Night baby. Don't worry about it, okay? Any of it. Get some sleep for me."

"I love you."

"I love you too," he said to her. "And I love you," he laughed, smiling down at Jaylynn.

*       *      *       *

Mark yawned and walked into the living room, where Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' was playing. "What are you doing?"

Jackie turned and sat up. "Trying to work out. It's the best thing to do at seven am when you're wide awake," she smiled at him.

"Yeah, that's exactly why I don't. Don't you go to the gym with Harvey and Maureen anyway?"

She nodded again. "Yeah. Okay I was bored! And there was nothing on TV. So I didn't want to sit and vegetate while you were still sleeping," she said, blowing out a puff of air. 

Mark laughed, leaned over, and helped her stand up. "I thought exercise was supposed to make you happy?"

"Hello?" she pointed down at her stomach. "Not when you're lugging around extra weight, it doesn't."

"Only a month and a half left," he said before he kissed her.

"So did Lisa call you last night?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She's allowed to walk around and everything, but her doctor wants her to take it easy. Which means no taking Noah trick or treating tonight with Matt. And no driving."

"They're going to Scarsdale?"

"I think so. She mentioned something to me about it, but she said that Matt's parents are coming over my parent's house. So whatever, it's a long story," he shrugged. 

"Okay," she yawned widely. "Is it okay if I hang out with Harvey tonight? He wants to get Maureen something nice for her birthday and apparently can't shop for himself, so he needs my help."

"Yeah, that's fine. I was going to hang out with Collins tonight anyway."

She grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him down the hallway. "Enough talk. Now I'm tired."

"But I just got up," he pretended to whine.

"So? You don't have to work today. Come and lay down with me."

"Jac—"

"Bed. Now."

"Okay," he laughed.

*        *        *        *

"Hey."

Roger walked into the bedroom and kissed Mimi before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey," she smiled at him, yawning. "What time is it?"

"Noon."

Mimi stared at him. "What? Did you feed her? Did you change her diaper? Did you put her down for a nap on time?"

Roger laughed and kissed her again. "Yes, relax. She's my kid too. Plus, Collins has her now."

"Collins is here?" 

"No. He came up when you were still sleeping and asked if he could watch her until I take her to my mom's."

"Okay. Uncle Collins is gonna spoil the shit out of her," she added, laughing. "It's kind of a good thing Dan is still on that business trip in Florida or she'd come home with five extra shopping bags of clothes."

"Yeah true. So you guys are gonna hang out when I'm at my mom's? I can't believe I have to take Jaylynn all the way to Scarsdale so I can show my parents, my brothers, and my sister her fucking Halloween costume. So they can take a roll of pictures of her dressed up as a pumpkin."

"Ew, somebody's got a stick shoved up their ass this morning. I can't wait to bribe your mom into showing me the pictures of what you dressed up as for Halloween. I already have the ones of your naked ass," she winked.

"So what? I was cute. Plus I didn't actual have a lot of costumes. I just went out with Jimmy and we toilet papered houses, with my little brother Joey."

"I forget that you're such a bad ass."

"So do you wanna get drinks tonight when I get home? Maybe with Mark, Jackie, and Collins?" he asked. "After I get back from celebrating our daughter's first Halloween," he added quickly before Mimi gave him another look.

"We'll see. I want to see what Collins is up for. He might just want to stay home, and that's fine with me."

"Alright. So, what do you wanna do?" he said suggestively.

Mimi sighed and straddled his lap. "Hmm. Well, did I tell you what my doctor said last week?"

"No, not really."

She whispered something in his ear and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

Roger grinned at her. "So what the hell are we waiting for? Jesus Christ, you waited this long to tell me? Let's go!" 

Mimi laughed as he started kissing her neck. "It's only sex, babe. Breathe."

"Only sex? Have you completely forgotten that I haven't had sex with you since August 31st? Exactly two fucking months of me, Roger Davis, being celibate. No sex. Do you know how hard that was?"

"I'm sorry," she smiled, running her hands through his hair. "But we can now, so…what are we waiting for?" she giggled. The doorbell rang. "That—would be Collins."

Roger moaned and dropped back against the pillows. "Dammit."

Mimi sighed and kissed him. "Rain check?"

"Yeah," he grumbled. "I'm not being an asshole about this, am I? Cause you know I'd wait for you however long."

"No you're not. Believe me, two months is a record for us. And I want it just as much as you do. Thank you for being so patient," she winked before answering the door.

Collins smiled and walked in. "Hey. Did I interrupt anything?"

Mimi laughed. "Nope, nothing. Roger was just about to get laid," she joked.

"Roger's always about to get laid," Collins reminded her.

Mimi took Jaylynn from him. "Were you good for Uncle Collins?"

"Hell yeah she was. She's gotta be one of the best babies ever."

"Say that to me again when she wakes **you** up at three am," Mimi said. She placed Jaylynn in her swing.

"Remind me before I leave and I certainly will," he added.

Roger walked out of the bedroom and shoved his hands in his pocket. "Hey," he greeted Collins.

"Hey. Sorry about fucking up your plans to fuck," Collins replied cheerfully. 

He shrugged and sat down on the floor near Jaylynn's swing. "Yeah, what the hell. You ready to go see Grandma and Grandpa?"

"The bottles are in the fridge, and everything else is in her bag. Plus the pacifier. Don't forget it, or you'll regret it."

"Wow Meems, motherhood makes you rhyme. Who would have thought?" Collins teased. He grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat down on the barstool in the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, Roger had managed to get Jaylynn dressed in her tiny pumpkin Halloween costume without much of a problem. Mimi had to help him get the hat on, but other then that, he was pretty proud of himself. 

"She's got to be the cutest pumpkin ever," Collins acknowledged. He had finished his soda and was starting to eat an apple. "Angel would have probably dressed up to match her."

Roger looked at Mimi and she smiled sadly at him. "Yeah, she would have."

"Of course she would have, Collins. Angel looked good in whatever she was wearing," Mimi reminded him. 

Roger wrapped Jaylynn up in her blanket and slung the bag over his shoulder. "I better get going."

Mimi walked over to him and kissed him. "Have fun. Take lots of pictures and have your mom send some to me. Be nice, and don't let Jimmy con you into going out." She kissed the top of Jaylynn's head. "Bye baby. Be good for Daddy. And look cute."

Roger kissed her before heading towards the door. "Bye guys."

"Bye," Collins said. He finished off his apple and tossed the core in the trash.

Mimi rested her chin in hand and looked at him. "So how are you?"

"Honestly? I'm okay," he answered. "I thought it would be a lot worse. I thought I wouldn't want to get out of bed today. But I did. It was hard, but I did it. I had my coffee, and I read my paper. Then I went out and bought flowers and went to the cemetery. I ran into Angel's mother there and we had breakfast at this little café near the river. Then I came home and watched Jaylynn. I have to say my day's been pretty good so far. Better than I ever expected."

"That's really great. I'm glad," Mimi smiled, resting her hand on top of his.

"Yeah. So what about you?"

"Me?" Mimi sighed and brushed a curl out of her face. "I'm okay. I miss her. So much sometimes I don't know what to do about it."

"I know. And I don't think the missing her part will ever go away. It still feels like a fresh wound to me, but a wound that's trying to heal. One day that wound will become a memory, and everytime I think of her I'll remember her just how she was and not think so much about the pain of losing her."

"Yeah."

Collins smiled at her. "Come here."

Mimi smiled and he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a warm hug. "Thank you for always being there, Collins."

"You're welcome. Now what's this I hear about Roger wanting to go out and get drinks tonight?"

Mimi laughed. "You know how he is. I told him it was up to you."

"I can't pass down a good drink offer."

"Then we'll go," she smiled.

"We will. And we'll all get smashed," he laughed.

"Of course," she winked.

Collins stood up and stretched. "Want to go harass Mark? We haven't done that in awhile."

"Ooh sounds tempting. Let's go. We should prank call him all day and drive him crazy."

"Good idea." Collins picked up the phone and grinned mischievously. "Hi, is your refrigerator running? Is that so? Well, you better go catch it!" He slammed down the phone and gave Mimi a high five as they both tried to stifle their laughs. 

"Awesome. I can't believe he fell for it. My turn!" she beamed. Collins passed the phone to her. "Hello, is a Mister Pis. N. Yurpanse there?"

Collins held his side as he started laughing hysterically. Mimi held a finger to her lips. 

"GUYS! I KNOW THAT'S YOU!" Mark shouted through the wall.

*       *       *       *

Send me a review! :o)


	47. 47

CHAPTER 47 

A/N: Wow, over 200 reviews! Thank you guys so much, you all are wonderful! Thank you for sticking with me this long. It means so much to me. 333

There's some chaos in this chapter, and as **Kelby** would put it: all hell breaks loose, sort of.

*       *       *       *

Maureen took off her coat as she walked into Mark's apartment. Considering it was the start of Thanksgiving weekend, she expected it to be cold, but not this damn cold. "Hello?" she called out, setting her purse on the table.

"In here," Jackie yelled over. Maureen followed her voice into Jackie and Mark's bedroom. 

"Hey sweetie. How are you?"

Jackie shrugged and looked up from her laptop, which was resting on her small belly. Although she was almost nine months pregnant, she only had gained close to twenty pounds, and pretty much only in her stomach. The rest of her body had remained slim, partially because she had been conned into going to the gym with Harvey and Maureen. "Feeling kind of crummy, you?"

Maureen sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her. "Okay. Mark's not back yet?"

"Nope. His mom was having him over for dinner because of Cindy's new baby. I was supposed to go with him but I haven't been feeling that great so I figured I'd be better off laying around my own apartment instead of someone else's house."

Maureen nodded. "What did Cindy and Adam end up naming her?"

"Victoria Megan."

"That's sort of pretty."

Jackie nodded and shut off her laptop. "Yeah." She placed it on the side of the bed and sat up. "So did you have a goodtime last night?"

Maureen smiled. "Yup, I sure did. That was definitely the best birthday celebration I've had in a few years. Roger got wasted, Mimi got pissed at him for it, Collins and Dan were hilarious. I had a good time."

"I'm glad. It was fun." Jackie smiled at her before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Now I've gotta piss. Give me a few minutes and we'll continue the conversation after the little man stops pressing on my bladder."

"No problem. I'll find a movie we can watch. We can make it a mini girls night, except Mimi and Roger aren't back from Lori and Wes' yet."

"What the hell, we can hang out ourselves."

Maureen dug around in the cabinet, looking for a few movies. She even popped a huge bowl of popcorn and gotten two glasses of soda and set them out on the coffee table in the living room. 

"Jac I have popcorn! Did you fall in or something?" she joked, walking over to the bathroom. She knocked on the door. "Jackie?"

"Maureen, something's wrong," she said softly. Maureen didn't even have to see her to sense the panic that was edging onto her voice. "Something's really wrong."

"What? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I'm bleeding. Like that time of the month bleeding.  And I know that's not supposed to happen at all."

Maureen opened the bathroom door. Jackie was resting against the edge of the sink and her one hand was gripping the edge of it. Her face was streaked with tears and she looked up at Maureen with a helpless expression on her face.

"Sweetie, I need you to calm down for me. Take a deep breath," Maureen said to her. "I'm going to drive you to the hospital and we'll figure out what's going on, okay?"

Jackie nodded and followed her out into the living room. Maureen handed her jacket to her and she slipped it on slowly. "I don't know the number to Mark's parents house. And Roger's not home."

Maureen nodded. "That's okay. I don't want you to worry about anything right now. Let me just get you to the hospital and I'll try tracking down Mark. I'll have Collins help me. Roger's sister might have a shift tonight. You'll be fine."

"That's not making me feel any better."

"I know, I'm sorry," Maureen added. She led Jackie out of the apartment and helped her down the stairs. She unlocked her car and made sure Jackie was comfortably sitting in the front seat. She backed the car out and headed down the street before pulling out her cell phone. She made a few phone calls, all the while keeping her eye on Jackie and on the road. 

"Now I'm getting cramps. Maureen this isn't right. Are we almost there?" Jackie asked. She was starting to panic again. "It's too late for me to have a miscarriage, I'm almost full term. What the hell is going on?"

Maureen looked over and made another turn. "We're almost there. Just keep calm. I called Harvey and he's leaving rehearsal right now. He'll meet us there as soon as he can get on the subway."

"He left in the middle of class? But that ballet is opening next weekend, he can't do that," she replied miserably.

"Jac honey, he cares about you more than he ever could about some ballet. You know that right? I got Collins and Dan's answering machine, so I left a message and told them to meet us here when they could."

"But no Mark."

Maureen sighed and shook her head as she pulled into the parking spaces reserved for emergencies. "No Mark. But if Lindsey's on tonight she'll know the numbers to Mark's parent's house. Or she'll call her mom who will call Mrs. Cohen. So he'll be here soon too."

Maureen wrapped her arm around Jackie's waist and helped her into the emergency room. She found a seat for her and helped her sit down before she started to raise hell with the charge nurse at admit. It must have worked, because the next thing Jackie knew, an orderly was helping her into a wheelchair and heading with her into the nearest trauma room.

"Maureen! What the hell is going on?" Lindsey Davis had just come out of a nearby exam room and spotted her heading for the trauma rooms. She jogged over to her, adjusting her stethoscope over her nursing scrubs. "Oh god, it's Roger isn't it? It's Roger?" 

Maureen shook her head. "No, it's not Roger. Roger's out with Mimi at his friend's apartment. It's Jackie, Mark's girlfriend. She started bleeding before so I brought her here. She's almost nine months pregnant."

Lindsey pulled her light brown hair back into a low ponytail and headed towards the trauma room side by side with Maureen. "How much bleeding?"

"Like--bleeding."

"Shit." Lindsey pushed the doors open. "Hey Jackie."

"Hey," she answered softly. She had already changed into a gown and was hooked up to an IV and various monitors, including a fetal one.

"Beth, I've got this one. She's my brother's best friend's girlfriend."

The other nurse nodded and left. "I'll just cover your other charts."

"Alright thanks," Lindsey added. "So what's going on Jackie?"

"There's just a lot of blood. And it's gotten heavier than before we left."

"Okay. I'm gonna do an ultrasound and we already paged your OBGYN. We'll run some labs and check a few things out."

Jackie nodded. "Can you try to get a hold of Mark? He's at his mom's house and I don't have the number."

"I'm getting everyone cell phones and pagers for Christmas," Maureen added, trying to lighten the mood.

"Good idea," Lindsey smiled at her. She looked over at the fetal monitor as she started the ultrasound. "His heart rate's a little on the low side."

"Is that bad?" Jackie asked, looking over at the screen.

"It means we're just going to keep an eye on it and see if it jumps up a few numbers. Nothing big to worry about right now, but we'll monitor it."

"Okay." Jackie relaxed a little against the pillows.

Jackie's doctor walked in just as Lindsey finished up the ultrasound and took over. 

"I'll see you in a little bit, okay Jackie?"

Jackie nodded as Dr. Chesek started her exam. Lindsey pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the trash and motioned for Maureen to follow her out of the room.

"So? How is she?"

Lindsey bit her lip. "She's stable for now. She's losing a lot of blood and the baby's already in the beginning stages of fetal distress."

"She's going to be okay, right?"

"I won't know much of anything until the labs come back and the doctor finishes up the exam. But what it's looking like right now is a placental abruption, and not just a minor one. Basically the placenta serves the purpose of getting all the nutrients to the baby throughout the pregnancy and after a woman delivers a baby, it's passed out after. But in Jackie's case, the placenta is already detaching from the uterine wall. That's what's causing the bleeding, because the body thinks that the pregnancy is over, but it really isn't."

Maureen's face paled a little at this. "Holy shit. So if the placenta comes out, then won't the baby—" She couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"Which is why we're going to prevent any of that from happening. She's already going to need a blood transfusion, and after the exam I'm going to find out from the doctor whether or not the baby's going to need to be delivered a few weeks early. If it were minor bleeding, we'd stabilize her and send her home on bed rest. But since it's not, most likely she's going to either need to deliver now—normally or by c-section."

"Which one is better?"

"If the baby's stats keep dropping like they are now, they'll prep her for an emergency c-section."

"Jesus Christ, we need to track down Mark," Maureen stated.

"I'm going to go to the desk and make the call and find him on my way to pick up the labs. Do you have her family's numbers in Sydney?"

"No. I don't even have Mark's parent's number."

Lindsey nodded. "Ask Jackie if she wants us to call her parents."

"Okay I will. And don't have Mark bring his mother here. Just tell him to excuse himself without any huge family drama," Maureen said seriously.

Lindsey smirked at this. "No problem."

*       *       *       *

Harvey practically tripped over a gurney as he tore down the corridor. He pulled off his scarf and turned the corner, pausing the exam rooms leading up the major trauma rooms. He found Maureen sitting off to the side, drinking a cup of coffee and staring at the floor.

"Hey," he greeted her. He could tell she had been crying, although she attempted to put on a brave face when she saw him.

Maureen stood up and wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her tear-streaked face into his shoulder. "This is so fucking unfair."

He kissed the top of her head. "What did her doctor say? How is she?"

"She's hanging in there." Maureen gave him all the details. "She's bleeding out pretty bad, but they want to see if her blood is going to clot with the medication they're giving her. Which it's obviously fucking not! And they're risking so much with her just sitting there slowly bleeding to death when they can just give her a c-section and get the baby out. And where the fuck is Mark? She's been asking for him and he's still not fucking here! I can't find Collins or Dan, and I gave up on Roger and Mimi a long fucking time ago," she said angrily.

"Hey hey, none of that, okay? The doctors know what they're doing. And Mark will be here soon, I hope. So just stop crying, okay? I'm gonna go in to see her."

Maureen nodded and pulled away from him. "Okay," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

As Harvey went it, Roger came strolling down the hall hurriedly. He was hand in hand with Mimi and they both were searching for the trauma room. Roger turned the same corner Harvey had moments before and almost collided with his sister, who was walking in the other direction.

"Hey!" Lindsey greeted. 

Roger dropped Mimi's hand and gave her a hug. "Hey, is everything okay with Jackie. What's going on?" He linked his hand through Mimi's again and pulled her closer to him.

Lindsey quickly explained and pointed in the direction of Jackie's room. "Mark should be here any minute. I got a hold of him at his mom's house."

"He's not gonna bring the entourage, is he?" Roger asked, referring to Mark's family.

Lindsey shook her head. "Nah, I told him not to. Whether he listens or not is another story."

"Mark's a softie around his mother so that's gonna get us all real far," Roger muttered sarcastically. 

Mimi rested her head against his arm. "Let's just go see how she is?"

"Yeah you're right. I'll see ya later Linds. Have fun playing doctor and nurse," he grinned, giving her the thumbs up.

"You're a shitface."

"But you love me," he reminded her.

"Bye Mimi," she smiled before walking down the hall and disappearing.

*       *       *       *

"Roger."

Lindsey slipped out of the trauma room and into the hall. Maureen and Mimi were in with Jackie, sitting on her bed and talking to her. Harvey had made a run to the cafeteria to get coffee to everyone. Collins and Dan were still MIA, along with Mark.

Roger looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"We might have to prep her for a c-section. She's losing too much blood and the baby's in distress. Do you have any idea where Mark is?"

"Fuck." Roger ran his hand through his hair. "No. He might be stuck in traffic on the parkway."

"Okay. I hope he gets here within the next five minutes because I don't think he'd want to miss him son being born," she added softly. "But I got the okay for Maureen to be in the operating room with her as a standby in case Mark doesn't get here on time."

Roger smirked at this. "The ex girlfriend and the girlfriend. Interesting."

Lindsey nodded and sat down next to him. "Yeah. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure."

"How long have you been positive?"

Roger stared at her. The question had caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting it. "How did you know?"

"Remember that one weekend you came up? And you had left those pills in the bathroom and I gave them back to you? I read the label, Roger. I'm not stupid, I'm a nurse. I just sort of have been wondering since then."

"About three years," he answered slowly. "After—"

"Your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded again. "After her."

"Okay. You're still taking your pills right?"

"Yeah I am."

"Okay good." She stood up again. "And don't worry, I'm not going to tell Mom. That's a conversation you should have with her on your own."

"Thanks," he said, giving her a smile. Her last statement reminded him of their years growing up in Scarsdale. Whenever Roger did something that could potentially get him in trouble with their parents and tried to keep it a secret, Lindsey would never tell. Ever. And she still was that way. He had always been able to trust her with anything and know that she would never tell anyone unless he wanted her to, and even then she was hesitant about it. "I love you Linds, you know that right?"

"Yeah I do. I love you too." She kissed him on the cheek as she stood up again.  "I've gotta get back in there."

"Where's your car parked?"

"Section E5, second level of the parking deck. Why?"

"Just give me your keys. I'm gonna go and see if I can find Mark."

"They're in the lounge. Just um—damn, here." She took off her ID badge and handed it to him. "If anyone asks what you're up to, just show them that and tell them you're my brother. My purse is in the first cubicle on the left."

Roger tried to remember everything. "Alright, I think I got it." He took off down the hall.

Lindsey reentered the trauma room and started checking the monitors. As she had figured, the baby's heart rate had dropped and so had Jackie's stats. Although she was sitting up in the bed talking to Maureen and Mimi, she was very pale. "How do you feel Jac?"

"Mmm not that great. I'm feeling kind of dizzy," she added. 

"Okay." Lindsey adjusted Jackie's IV and checked a few things. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to kick both of you out."

Maureen nodded and squeezed Jackie's hand. "We'll be right outside."

"Yeah," Mimi agreed. "Just holler if you need anything."

"Thanks," Jackie replied weakly. "So what's the story? Really."

Lindsey sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's not good."

"I kind of figured that. How bad is it?"

"If the baby's stats don't peak in five minutes we're prepping you for an emergency c-section."

"Great." She slumped against the pillows. "And Mark is nowhere to be found."

"I'm sorry about that. But if it makes you feel any better, Roger is out looking for him right now."

"Yeah." 

An alarm started beeping on the monitors and Lindsey looked over. Jackie's heartbeat had slowed considerably. "Shit," she cursed under her breath. "Jac how do you feel?"

"Really dizzy."

Lindsey pressed the emergency call button on the wall. "Lay back down and keep talking to me."

"Uh huh."

"What's your favorite color?" 

It took Jackie a second to respond. "Silver." She closed her eyes and Lindsey shook her awake.

"You can't go to sleep. Not yet. Stay awake for me."

"I can't."

Jackie's doctor rushed in along with another two nurses. "We're cleared, let's go."

"What? Cleared for what?" Jackie panicked. 

Lindsey grabbed her two IVs and followed off to the side as they started wheeling the bed out of the room. "Jackie, your baby's heart rate has dropped again so we're taking you upstairs for the emergency c-section, do you understand? We have to stop the bleeding."

Jackie shook her head. "Not without Mark. Not without him, okay! You have to wait until he gets here!"

Maureen, Harvey, and Mimi stood up when they saw Jackie coming out. "Does anyone want to tell us what the hell is going on?" Mimi demanded.

"This baby needs to come out now," Dr. Chesek answered her. "Meet us upstairs in surgery." 

Maureen released Harvey's hand and dragged Mimi to the stairs.

Jackie reached her hand over to the side. "I said not without Mark, goddammit! What part of that don't you people understand! I can't do this without him!" She looked over at Harvey. He grasped onto her hand.

"We're gonna find him for you, okay Jac? Jac, can you hear me?" Jackie had slipped into unconsciousness, her hand limp in his own.

"Jackie," Harvey said louder. "Come on Jac, wake up, don't do this," he begged her. 

"Sir, we'll need you to step back—"

"What the hell is going on with her?" he shouted angrily as they wheeled Jackie out of the elevator.

"She lost so much blood that she passed out. We'll set her up for a transfusion in the operating room," Lindsey answered quickly for him as they jogged next to the gurney.

Roger sprinted down the parking lot and slammed straight into Mark, almost knocking his glasses to the floor. "God, you stupid fucker! Where have you been!" he shouted at him, steadying his balance.

"The fucking traffic on the parkway! It's snowing like hell out there and there were accidents all over the place!" he shot back at him. "Where is she? What's going on with Jackie and the baby?"

"It's not good Mark. They have to do an emergency c section because she's losing too much blood."

Mark started panicking as they hurried down the hall. "What?! When the hell did this happen? She was fine this afternoon when I left!"

Roger explained to him what both the doctor and his sister had told him about the placenta. "They have to take her up. They're both in trouble if they don't."

"You're just making me feel a whole lot better, you shit!" Mark hollered at him. 

"Hey! What the fuck are you yelling at me for!" Roger said. They flew up the five flights of stairs and Roger held the door open at the top. 

"Roger, Mark!" Harvey yelled out, waving them over. He tossed Mark a surgical gown. "Just get in there."

*       *       *       *

Roger's sister greeted Mark automatically. "Hey." She pulled over a chair near Jackie's head. "She's out of it right now, but she's been asking for you for the two hours she's been here."

"How is she?" He sat down and slipped his hand through Jackie's pale one and started stroking her hair with his other.

"She'll be a hell of a lot better when we get her to stop bleeding and we get the baby out."

"He's okay to come out now, right?"

Lindsey nodded and pulled her mask down over her face. "Yeah. He's almost 37 weeks. It's fine."

Mark kissed Jackie's forehead. "Hey. Jac, can you hear me?"

She groggily opened her eyes and turned her head to this side. "You're here," she whispered hoarsely. "About damn time."

Mark smiled and squeezed her hand. "Wouldn't want to miss this show for anything, would I?"

"Nah. I knew you'd be here," she smiled sleepily.

"Liar."

"True," she closed her eyes again.

"One minute from skin to baby, people," Dr. Chesek called out as she started making her incision. 

"What kept you so long?"

Mark stroked her cheek as he watched the doctors and nurses bustle around the operating room. "Damn traffic. It's snowing out. It caused a fucking pileup, I'm sorry."

"I'm glad you're here now."

"So am I," he said to her.

Dr. Chesek lifted the baby out and held it up so Mark and Jackie could see it. "It's a boy!" she called out to them before handing the baby over to Lindsey to get cleaned up.

"It's a boy Jac. Did you hear that?" Mark asked her. He kissed her and started stroking her hair.

"How's he look?" she whispered. 

"He looks good, Jackie," Dr. Chesek answered. "You gave us quite a scare there, but the bleeding for the most part has stopped. And once we clean you up and move you to a post op room, you can hold him. But your boyfriend can hold him in a minute."

"Okay," she answered. 

"You did good, Jac. I'm proud of you, you know that?"

"What for? Laying on a table while I'm doped up on something that's making me feel really woozy?" she laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah, that," he smiled before kissing her again.

"You're not getting another damn thing from me for Hannumas," she warned.

"Hannumas?"

"Hanukkah and Christmas put together."

"Oh right, it's another word you make up and only you know. I forget these things."

"Want to hold him, Daddy?" the doctor asked, placing the baby in Mark's arms.

Mark held the yawning baby and Jackie reached out for his tiny hand. "We need a name for him."

"I don't know. We'll think of something," she added. "Hey little man. You were being a little troublemaker already."

*       *       *       *

Roger pulled Mimi onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Looks like things are okay."

"Thank god," she added, resting her head back against his chest. "What are you eating?"

"Turkey sandwich?" He broke it in half and handed one piece to her. "Hey we have to spend Thanksgiving Eve in the hospital. Might as well get a little festive." He opened his mouth wide and showed her the half chewed turkey bits.

"God Roger! That is so fucking disgusting!" she laughed with a disgusted look on her face. "Manners much?"

"Nope." He swallowed the food and kissed her neck. "That better?"

"I can't believe Collins and Dan missed the whole thing," Mimi giggled into his neck. "They're going to be so pissed that Jackie had the baby without them here."

"Yeah well, speaking of," he pointed down the hall. Collins and Dan were rushing down it like everyone else had a few hours before.

"What's going on? What'd we miss?" Dan asked frantically.

Mimi smiled at them. "You missed a few things here and there."

"Yeah?"

Roger slid Mimi off his lap and stood up. "I'm gonna go and get Jay. She'll tell you the story."

"Tell Lori I'll call her later," Mimi added. "And tell Wes I'm sorry that he got stuck with two babies."

"Payback's a bitch, what can I say. I told him if he wasn't nicer to me I was gonna make him baby sit," Roger smirked.

"So there's a story?"

Mimi laughed. "There definitely is. This is one Thanksgiving we're all going to remember."


	48. 48

CHAPTER 48

A/N: Once again, thanks for all the great reviews! There've been some questions asked in them, so I'm going to answer them here before you read this chapter.

**Sho** asked: "…where does the girl who lives with Mark in the beginning come in? Whose kid is she?"

-The girl who lives with Mark is Nicole, Mark and Jackie's youngest daughter. She's thirteen when the story opens. If you're referring to Jaylynn, the girl that visits Mark in the early chapters, she's Roger and Mimi's daughter and she's nineteen when the story opens.

**Michelle** asked "So does this mean it's gonna be Christmas soon?"

-Yup, Christmas is coming up in the next one/two chapters.

**Kelby** asked: "But something still has to happen because they had a daughter in the beginning and she's younger than Jaylynn."

-Heh, I knew you were going to ask that! But actually, nothing happens to Mark and Jackie's son. No other children were mentioned during those opening chapters, and considering Luke is the same age as Jaylynn when the story opens, it is implied that he's away at college as well. In the first chapter, I believe there's a conversation that takes place/possibly mentions that Jaylynn came to the loft on spring break. So look out for Luke in the future chapters towards the end of the story, as well as any other little Cohen's that come along, lol.  

Hope that clears a few things up, and thanks to **Steph **and my other loves, **Jan **and **Cailin** for keeping me sane.

Enjoy guys! 3333

*       *       *       *

"Mark I've gotta sit down for a second. Or lean against the wall. I can't go any farther, it hurts like hell."

Mark helped her lean against the wall and propped her up against his shoulder. "Better?"

"Yeah. A little," she mumbled, resting her hand on her stitched stomach. "Can we go back now? This isn't supposed to be the New York marathon."

Mark rubbed her back and helped her stand up straight again. Jackie had been moved to a private recovery room last night after she delivered, and the anesthesia had worn off within two hours. She had been complaining she was sore ever since then, especially when her doctor had come in that morning and told her she needed to start sitting up and walking around to help speed up the healing process. That's what they were attempting to do now, since she had just nursed the baby and had enough time to shuffle around the maternity ward. 

"I know. But your doctor said the stitches would heal faster if you started doing normal things, like walking around and fighting with Roger," he joked. "I know it sucks, but it's the only way you're going to be able to go home. Plus, you have the pain medication they've been giving you."

She stared at him miserably. "Come talk to me when you have your stomach opened, a seven pound baby pulled from it, and stitched back together. Then you try to deal with the pain of that once the anesthesia wears off, plus the fact that you have to feed the kid with another very sore body part right now." She motioned to her chest. "I have a right to be miserable, because that's what I am!"

"Okay you win. You can go and lay back down until he's hungry again," Mark smirked at her. He pulled her in closer to himself and kissed the top of her head as he helped her back on the bed. 

She stared at him and placed a pillow over her stomach, along with one by her back. "You're really not helping. At all."

"I'm sorry, I'm trying. I don't know what to say to you," he apologized.

"Then just don't say anything. It's not funny, I can't even walk. How am I supposed to dance when I can't even walk! I was planning on going back to rehearsal and classes a few weeks after I had him. I can't walk. Therefore I can't dance. There's no way I can be in a production this spring."

"You don't know that."

"Can you just send Harvey in?" she asked him.

Mark stared at her and shrugged. "Whatever. I'm going to the nursery." He kissed her on the forehead.

"Mark…"

"I'll get him for you and see you later."

Mark walked out of the room and down the hall. Harvey and Maureen were sitting in the waiting room, both flipping through the same magazine. "Hey, um, she wants to see you."

Harvey looked up at him. "Oh. Everything okay?"

"I guess. Mo want to take a walk with me to the nursery?"

She shrugged and stood up. "Yeah sure."

Harvey looked uncomfortably at Mark and walked out of the room, down the hall, and into Jackie's room. "What's with Mark?"

Jackie looked up at him from the TV she was half watching. "I don't know. I guess he got a little frustrated with me." She pulled herself up a little with her arms. 

"Oh. So how do you feel?" he asked. 

"Like my organs are going to leak out of my stomach."

"Wow, aren't we one for the great visuals today?" he laughed.

"No problem."

"So when can you get out of here."

"Hopefully in a few days," she replied. "This is so disgusting." She rolled down her sweatpants and stared at the gauze that was covering her stitches. "Look at it."

Harvey made a face. "I don't want to look at it."

Roger walked into her room without knocking. "Show and tell time?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and kissing her cheek. "How do you feel?"

"Like my internal organs are gonna fall out. Oh yeah, and by the way, my boyfriend hates me!" she said. 

Roger stared at her, puzzled. "Mark doesn't hate you."

"He will when he sees what that looks like. Nobody's ever going to want to have sex with me again. Ever," she said, starting to cry a little. "And this fucking medication they have me on is making me cry over every little thing! It's horrible, I can't even walk farther than from the bed to the door. All I'm doing is complaining. I'm so sore that I can't even hold my baby for more than a few minutes.

Roger and Harvey both glanced at each other. "I'm sorry," Roger added. "Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head. "No. I just need to be able to sleep for a few hours without anyone waking me up."

"Well before we go—" Harvey motioned to himself and Roger, who took the hint. "Did you decide on a name yet?"

Jackie nodded. "Yeah. Luke Tyler Cohen."

Roger had walked to the door and was talking to Mimi, who had just shown up with Jaylynn. Harvey leaned over and kissed Jackie on the top of her head. "Get some rest for me, okay? You'll feel better. And don't stress over anything. You can't even tell that you've had a baby."

"Yeah. I'm not making sense, am I? I'm just complaining."

"I think you're entitled to complain all you want," he reminded her before heading towards the door. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Jackie had a quick conversation with Mimi and Roger for a few minutes. They eventually left to go back to the loft, and with Mark still at the nursery, she fell asleep.

*       *      *      *

"Have a good nap?"

Mimi nodded and sat down on the couch. Collins was crouched by Jaylynn's swing, entertaining her with a stuffed koala bear. "Thanks for watching her."

"Not a problem at all. She slept for a little bit and I managed to feed her most of her bottle. Plus, she kept smiling at me all morning which was very distracting," he laughed, running his hand over the baby's head. 

"Oh she's a charmer now. She's been smiling at everything lately, especially if you tickle her right under her chin. It's hard to get mad at her," Mimi joked. "Now only if she'd start sleeping through the night instead of keeping me up."

"She's only three months. You've gotta give it time. The next thing you know she'll be walking and then you'll really have your hands full."

"Can't wait," Mimi said sarcastically. "She's gotten so big so fast. Time flies."

"I can't believe you've been married to Roger for seven months already."

"I know, I'm a fucking saint," she joked. "All I need to work on now is keeping him home. Most of the time I want to take his guitar, his stupid cell phone, and his goddamn amps and throw them out the window."

Collins looked up at her and frowned. "Have you talked to him about it?"

Mimi shrugged and ticked Jaylynn underneath her chin to get her to smile. "Not really. I probably should, but this is what he's always wanted—for his band to finally be successful. Their CD dropped last weekend, and since then he's been convienently not home for most of the day. And when he does come home, it's late. So there goes any chance for a conversation we could have. But it's a good thing that he still gets up in the middle of the night to help me feed her, because if he didn't I'd kill him."

"I could see that," Collins smirked. "But is that what's really bothering you?"

"What's really bothering me is he'll probably go out on tour soon and he won't be home. That's what I can't deal with. And I'm sorry if this is selfish to say, but I don't want him to go. I know his has this obligation to the band, but I don't want him to leave us. What happens of they really hit it big, Collins? What am I supposed to do then? What are we supposed to move out of here into some big mansion in the middle of suburbia? I don't want that, and I know that's crazy to say. I don't want the money, and I don't want the goddamn luxuries that come with it. I want to spend however long I have left with the three of us being able to live normal lives. I don't want a nanny, or a fucking butler. I don't want a Mercedes and three vacation homes. I—god, I don't even know anymore." She stood up and walked into the kitchen to take her pills. 

Collins followed her and gave her a reassuring hug. "Hey, it'll be okay. Roger would never leave you, or Jaylynn. You know that. We all know that."

"I know."

"So all I can say is talk to him about it."

Mimi nodded and kissed Collins on the cheek. "I know. I will."

"Good."

Collins sat back down on the floor and started entertaining Jaylynn again as Mimi sorted through the mail.

"So are you getting her baptized?" he asked, sticking the baby's pacifier in her mouth.

Mimi pulled out an envelope and opened it. "Um, eventually. Roger and I haven't really talked about it that much yet. Maybe when she's closer to six months."

"You know it doesn't even really matter what you're baptized as these days. My sister was baptized as Methodist and she grew up and decided she wanted to be a Buddhist," Collins chuckled to himself.

Mimi nodded and scanned the letter she was holding. "Fucking hell!" she shouted. 

Collins walked over to her. "What's wrong?"

"My family is a bunch of incompetent morons," she added angrily. "You won't believe this. I told you how my stepfather Carl was going to run the Manhattan branch of my uncle Juan's business, right?"

"You mentioned it, yeah," he agreed. "Your uncle's the one who owns a few banks in Buenos Aires."

"Yeah. So when Jaylynn was born, I called my sister Carmen to figure out if she knew where my mother was, since my mother wasn't picking up her phone. She told me that my uncle and my stepfather were in talks to get into the banking business together and that they were going to be in Argentina to finalize the deal until early November."

"Okay."

"So my mother writes me this letter—" Mimi held up the letter she had just read. "And tells me that, oh, by the way, she likes it so much down there that she decided to move there for the rest of this year. Her second reason being that my sister Veronica decided to start college down there instead of here like she was supposed to and she doesn't want to leave her in the country alone."

Collins was puzzled at this. "But aren't your aunt and uncle there with her?"

"That's what I'm saying. So my mother and my stepfather bought this villa on the ocean and that's apparently where she's living until the summer, when my sister is finished with her freshman year of college. Then she promises that she'll be able to fly up to see me, Roger, and Jaylynn then, in June."

"So then is your stepfather staying in Manhattan?"

Mimi nodded. "Yeah, he's living at their house in Queens. But besides that, he'll have to fly back and forth from here to Buenos Aires for business meetings. Plus my uncle will have to fly up here too. But that's not the point. The point is, I asked my mother if she could take a week out of her busy schedule to fly up here to see her granddaughter. I asked both of them. But no, she can't possibly do that! She can't waste my stepfather's money on one fucking roundtrip plane ticket to see me. But she can fly across the Atlantic Ocean to see my goddamn sister and her husband in Italy."

Collins took the letter from Mimi and started reading it. "So where do all of your sisters live? And how many do you have again?"

"I have three other sisters. Carmen's 28, and she lives with her husband and daughter in Milan, so I rarely see her. She lives there because her husband's Italian and he wanted to be closer to his family and help run the family business. They own a restaurant, or something along the lines of one. Then there's Isabella, who's 24. She lives in Houston with her fiancé. He's in the Navy. Then basically there's just me, then Veronica."

"That's a lot of kids."

"And I'm the one that gets shit on, basically," she said softly.

Collins gave her a smile. "I'm sure that's not true."

"Yeah, it is. I ran away from home right after I graduated high school. I never made it to college. I'm the one they tried to hide away for so long. I bet they won't even come to my funeral."

"Mimi."

"What?" she said sharply. "I can't believe they don't even want to see her." Mimi looked over at Jaylynn, who was falling asleep. "She's beautiful, and they don't want to see her. Just because she's mine, and she's associated with me doesn't give them the right to ignore her. I want them to see her. She's one of the best things that have happened to me."

"It'll be okay, Mimi. I promise."

Mimi shook her head stubbornly and picked up Jaylynn. "No it won't. Roger's never around anymore, and my family is slowly disowning me. My family doesn't even care about me, and my own husband is so preoccupied with himself."

"Mimi," Collins said slowly. "Take a look around you. You have so many people who care about you. How can you say that?"

Mimi paused by Jaylynn's bedroom door. "I don't know. I'll see you later Collins. Thanks for watching her." She slipped inside the room and closed the door softly.

Collins shook his head and placed the letter on the coffee table.

*        *        *        *

"Jackie? I think he's hungry again."

Jackie groaned and adjusted herself on the couch, where she had spent most of the last three days resting since she had been released from the hospital. "Again? I swear, at this rate, he's going to be an alcoholic when he grows up," she joked.

Maureen walked over to her with Luke. "Want me to get you a pillow or anything?"

Jackie nodded, and Maureen placed the pillow underneath her arm before handing her the baby. "There."

"Thanks." Jackie ran her free hand through the baby's light blonde hair while he nursed. "Did Mark call?"

Maureen nodded and sat down on the couch next to her. "Yeah. He said your mom's flight was delayed by an hour, and that he'd be here with her around 4 instead of 2."

"Okay." Jackie yawned and adjusted the baby in her arms. "I'm just really glad she's coming here to help me out. I feel really bad about calling you come over all the time. Plus Harvey's busy, so I try not to bother him either."

"Oh sweetie, it's okay," Maureen reassured her. "We know you're going to need more help because of the surgery and everything. Besides, we don't mind. No one does. You're going to take a little longer to heal because of the c section then Mimi did when she had Jaylynn."

"Yeah I know. I just want to be back on my feet and taking classes again." Luke wrapped his tiny hand around her finger. "I have to say this is the first time I'm really jealous of Harvey."

"I never would have thought tights could look that sexy on a guy," Maureen laughed.

Jackie grinned. "Yeah well, he does have a nice ass."

"Tell me about it."

"Wow Mo, too much info," Jackie teased her.

"Oh yeah, like you and Marky don't go at it all the time."

"We did before he was born. But we'll probably be back in action pretty soon."

Maureen rolled her eyes and laughed. "So how long is your mom staying here?"

"She's leaving two days after Christmas. So about three and a half weeks. I didn't want her to fly all the way from Australia just to be here for a week because the flight is so long."

"Yeah."

Jackie picked the baby up and started burping him. "What are you and Harvey doing for the holidays?"

"Oh. Well he wants me to fly out with him to Los Angeles to meet his parents. I'm kind of nervous about that."

"Don't be. Harvey's parents are really great people. And I'm sure they'd love you," Jackie reassured her. 

"You think so?"

"Of course." Jackie handed Luke back to Maureen as she struggled to stand up. "I did it. Ugh, that's something I thought I'd never stay. Look, I can stand up on my own!"

Maureen laughed and helped Jackie walk into the baby's room. "I think he's ready for a nap." She gave Luke to Jackie. "Oh before I forget, Mark's mom called when you were sleeping. She said she wanted to know how you were feeling and asked if she could come by and see you tomorrow morning."

Jackie nodded. "Yeah that's fine. I'll just give her a call now. It'll be a good opportunity for her to meet my mom, I guess." She set Luke in his bassinet and tucked the blanket around him. 

"Want me to get out the tranquilizers?" Maureen joked as she helped Jackie back to the couch.

"Mo! That's horrible!"

*       *       *       *

"I'll get it!"

"Okay!" Mimi shouted back. She was perched on the bathroom floor, giving Jaylynn a bath. The whole front of her shirt was soaked with water because of the splashing the baby was doing.

Roger leaned against the doorframe and held out the cordless phone. "It's for you. It's your mom."

Mimi wiped her hands on the towel and took the phone from him. "Take over for me?"

He nodded and kissed her as he bent down in front of the tub. "Hey Jay, let's try to keep the water in the tub, okay?"

Mimi walked out into the living room and sat on the edge of the couch. "Hello?"

Roger finished washing the baby and wrapped Jaylynn up in her towel, all the while watching Mimi carrying out a very heated conversation in Spanish. Every so often she would get silent and listen, but then she'd start shouting and unleashing a string of words that he was sure would make a priest blush.

"Bye." Mimi slammed the phone down in its charger and walked into the baby's room. Roger was dressing Jaylynn on the changing table. 

"What happened?"

"I told you how my mom moved to Argentina for the year, right?"

"Yeah." 

"Well she just called to find out when would be a good time for her to fly up and see Jaylynn, because now she doesn't want to wait until June. She wants to come see her before Christmas."

Roger picked up the baby and rested her against his shoulder. "So are you letting her come up?"

Mimi shook her head. "Nope. We got into a fight over it. I told her about how I felt that she was ignoring us and how much it hurt me that she didn't even come to see Jaylynn when she was born. Then it just got worse from there, and it basically ended with her telling me that she was ashamed of me and she wished that I had actually done something with my life. Great parenting, huh?" she added bitterly.

Roger set Jaylynn in her bassinet and wrapped his arms around Mimi. "I'm sorry baby."

Mimi nodded and pressed her face against his chest. "I always knew they were ashamed of me. But actually hearing it and finding out it was true was what hurt the most. Like she doesn't even care, she doesn't want to see her. Why Roger? I didn't do anything wrong," she sobbed.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong, babe. It's all her. It'll be okay, I promise." He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. "If she doesn't want to see her it's her loss, not ours, okay?"  
  


"I know. But this is my mother, Rog. She's supposed to love me no matter what happens."

"I know baby." He kept rubbing her back as she continued sobbing into his shoulder. "I know."

*      *       *       *


	49. 49

CHAPTER 49

A few mentioned characters in the chapter:

**Nancy Sanders: **Jackie's mother. Divorced from Jackie's father. She's visiting from Australia for the holidays and is staying with Mark and Jackie.

**Shawn**: Jackie's best friend from Sydney. 

**Jillian**: Shawn's girlfriend. Also a close friend of Jackie's.

**Eva Cohen**: Mark's mother.

Thanks to **Steph**, **Jan**, and **Michelle** for the reviews on the last chapter! I'm really relieved to know that people are still reading this after all this time. The next chapter I'll be posting will be the Christmas chapter—and ironically enough it's Chapter 50! I can't believe I wrote this much, I never expected this to turn into what it did. I can't really thank you guys enough for all the great reviews. You all are my motivation for writing this, and without that, I would have never taken this story this far. Thanks again! And remember to keep reviewing. :o)

This chapter's just sort of a light, funny, pre holiday's chapter. About time, considering there's been so much drama in the past chapters! Enjoy.

*         *        *        *

DECEMBER 20th

Mark walked over to his bed and planted a kiss on Jackie's forehead. "Good morning, sunshine," he yawned.

Jackie opened her eyes and yawned as well. "It would be a happier morning if your son didn't keep me up all last night."

Mark stretched out on the bed and wrapped his arm around her. "I know. Which is why my mom and your mom are sitting in the living room watching him."

"Really?"

"Yeah really," he laughed. "I think they hit it off. It's the third time this week my mom's been at my place. Considering she hasn't been here more than twice in the past four years, that's pretty fucking amusing."

Jackie ran her fingers over the neck of Mark's tee shirt. "And all it had to take was you knocking up some girl to get her back in your life," she mused back at him.

"Well that girl just so happens to be the love of my life." He kissed her and linked his hand through hers.

"Oh? Good, because I love you too," she smiled. "I have to send pictures to Shawn and Jillian, so can you get stamps for me from the post office? Plus my sister and my dad. Although I'm pretty sure when my mom goes back she'll have enough to fill a whole album."

Mark grinned and gently pulled her up from the bed. He rested his hand on her hip and grinned. "I don't think that's necessary."

"What? Fine then I'll have Roger to do it," she pretended to pout at him. "Since my own fiancé can't do it for me."

"I didn't mean that." He led her down the hallway. "Close your eyes."

"Did somebody get me an early Christmas present?" she laughed as he led her further down the hall.

Mark's mother was holding Luke and smiling widely at Nancy, Jackie's mother. A muscular, tanned man with bleach blonde hair was leaning against the wall. Shawn. An equally tan woman with dark brown hair had her head resting against his shoulder. Jillian. She too, was barely able to hold back her smile when she saw Jackie at the end of the hall.

"Okay you can open them," Mark said.

"It better be something good," she teased before opening her eyes. "Oh my god!" she shrieked. A part of her was about to run down the hall and tackle both of her friends, but considering she was still supposed to be taking it easy, she hobbled down the hall with Mark.

Shawn scooped Jackie up into a hug. "Surprised much?"

"Very," she laughed as he kissed her cheek. "I can't believe you're both here! Mom, did you know about this?"

Nancy walked over and nodded before handing Luke to Jackie. "I did. But I was sworn to secrecy by a very large, blonde, threatening roommate of Mark's."

"Oh I'm going to kill Roger Davis when I see him!" she laughed before giving Jillian a hug. "How was the flight? And how long are you here for?"

They all spent the majority of the morning catching up on things they had all missed. Shawn and Jillian were going to be in the city for a month, staying at Jillian's father's apartment downtown, which was reserved for his business trips to the States. Shawn told Jackie how Mark had called him the day after Jackie gave birth to Luke and set the whole surprise trip up, right down to having Roger and Collins pick them up from the airport. Pictures were taken, including ones with the baby, and baby presents were opened.

Mark was in the kitchen putting the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher when Jackie walked in and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Mark, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this meant to me. I can't believe you went out of your way to do this for me," she smiled, kissing him. "I love you."

Mark grinned and returned the kiss. "I know. I love you too. But I knew how much you missed your friends, so I figured that they might as well spend Christmas here too and get to know everyone back here."

"I really, really appreciate this."

"Well you're welcome."

Luke's cries started to fill the apartment. "Jackie? He's hungry," Mark's mother called over. 

"Okay, thanks." She called over. "I better go feed him."

"You better," Mark grinned. 

*         *         *         *

"Danny?" Mimi called out into the loft. She held the door open with her foot as she dragged the shopping bags inside. "Hello? Anyone around? Dan?" 

She groaned and shut the door behind her. "Daniel Leone!"

"Oh damn," Jackie laughed. She walked into the apartment. "I thought you were Roger."

"Nope, sorry," Mimi said. She opened the closet door and shoved the shopping bags into them, covering them with a blanket. "Where's Mark and everyone? And where is Danny? He's supposed to be watching Jaylynn."

Jackie walked over to the couch and sat down. "He took Maureen and Harvey to the airport about an hour ago. And Mark went to help Shawn and Jillian get some groceries and to make sure they didn't get lost going to their place."

"What? Then who's watching Jaylynn?" Mimi panicked. She ran over to the baby's room and peeked her head in just as Roger walked out of their bedroom, yawning. He took one look at Jackie and started laughing. 

"Don't kill me. The rumor is you're going to slip arsenic into my food," he winked at her.

"I can't believe you did this without telling me!" she laughed at him. "You're such a—" She gave him a hug.

"Nice guy?" Roger added. "Hey, where's my nephew?"

"Sleeping next door. It's about time, he kept me up all last night," she groaned.

"So I heard. Literally."

Mimi walked out of the baby's room and smacked Roger on the side of the head. "You moron! Why didn't you call and tell me you came home!" she yelled at him.

Roger playfully grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap. "Because right after I got home from the bar, Dan left to go to the airport. I put Jay to sleep, and then I fell asleep. So when was I supposed to call you?"

"But—"

Roger kissed her. "But nothing. It's not like Dan or anyone would ever leave her here by herself. What, did too much Christmas shopping go to your brain?" he teased her. "Did you and Collins actually get anything accomplished?"

"Yeah we did, thank you very much. And you better start being nicer to me or I'll take your presents back," she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Ooh baby, don't tempt me," he winked at her.

Jackie made a gagging sound and stood up. "There is another person in the room, you know."

"You. Be quiet," Roger pointed a finger at her. "Go and make out with Mark or something. Or hang out with the Crocodile Dundee clan I gathered from the airport this morning."

"Don't call them that!" Jackie laughed. "At least not to their faces."

"Seriously Roger, where are you manners lately?" Mimi asked, running her fingers through his hair.

"I don't know. I have great bedside ones though."

Jackie shuddered and headed towards the door. "I'm leaving now. At least wait until I'm outside the door."

"Bye!" Mimi laughed over Roger's shoulder. He picked her up and dropped her on the bed, slamming the bedroom door shut.

*        *        *        *

"Which one is the garland again?" 

Mark pointed to the silver and gold strands sitting in the cardboard box. "That stuff. Didn't you ever pay attention when your mom decorated the tree?"

"Sort of. Not really." Roger pulled out a red strand out and tossed it to the side. "That it?"

Jackie was seated on the couch, untangling the Christmas lights while Mimi was plugging and unplugging them in the outlet. "No. That's tinsel."

"What's the goddamn difference?" Roger blurted out.

"Tinsel's thinner, and garland's thicker," Mark said through a mouthful of turkey sandwich. 

Mimi shook her head. "No, garland's thinner, and tinsel's thicker."

Jackie shrugged. "Isn't tinsel what you wear in your hair on New Year's Eve?"

Mark looked over at her and started laughing. "Uh, no. That's streamers."

Roger shot a look his way. "What the hell? It's tinsel Mark, not streamers. Streamers and confetti is what falls out of the sky on New Year's Eve. At least in Times Square."

"Okay whatever. But I'm telling you that tinsel is the thin one and garland is the thick one!"

"No it's not!"

Mark rolled his eyes. "Yes, it is."

"You're Jewish! What do you know about Christmas?" Roger argued back.

"Um, I sort of spent every Christmas at your house, or did you forget? Besides, you know I'm right."

"Will you both be quiet! You're going to wake Luke up," Jackie said grumpily. "And if you wake him up he won't fall asleep until later. Then he'll be cranky. That means I have to sit up with him later and I won't get any sleep."

"Sorry," Roger apologized. "We need a second opinion on this garland and tinsel thing."

Mark walked over and kissed the top of Jackie's forehead. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Finally! They work!" Mimi said, flattening the strands of lights out. "Not even a bulb burnt out."

"Just wait until you get them on the tree. One's guaranteed to burn out by them."

"Shut up Mark! You're going to jinx it!" Mimi laughed, playfully tousling his hair.

"Yeah really," Roger voiced. Mimi handed him the lights and he started to wrap them around the Christmas tree. "You better watch it or I'm stealing your menorah."

"Oh yeah? Like you used to steal all my chocolate gelt coins?"

Mimi laughed and pinched Roger's ass when she walked by. "Don't steal Mark's gelt."

"Hey! I'm the one who does the ass grabbing around here, okay!" he joked. "Baby can you get me a beer from the fridge?"

Mimi shook her head. "Nope, I think I'm going to check on Jaylynn and Luke instead."

"Mark?"

Mark shook his head. "Nah. Get off your ass and get it yourself."

"You're gonna pay for that," Roger warned. He jumped off the chair and dove for Mark, grabbing him in a headlock. "Noogie time!"

Mark's leg shot out and accidentally caught Roger in his "area", which gave Mark enough time to free his head and jump over the back of the couch.

"Ow! Fucking hell!" Roger shouted out, wincing. "Damn Mark!"

Mimi closed the bedroom door and started laughing hysterically when she saw Roger walking painfully around the loft. "Oh babe," she giggled.   
  
Jackie had covered her mouth and was turning red, she was laughing so hard. Mark grinned up at Roger sheepishly from the floor. "Sorry," he apologized. He couldn't keep a straight face when the doorbell rang. 

Collins and Dan walked in and surveyed the scene in front of them. "Bad time?" Collins laughed. Roger was now lying face down on the floor, doubled over in pain. Mark was now standing on the chair, finishing up the lights. Both Jackie and Mimi were trying to hide their laughs so as not to hurt Roger's feelings any further.

"Not a bad time. Mark just knocked Roger in the sac. Accidentally," Mimi answered him.

Dan and Collins glanced at each other and winced.

"Or was it?" Jackie laughed.

"This isn't funny! I'm not laughing. It hurts, okay!" Roger groaned from the floor.

"Want me to get you some ice for it?" Mimi suggested. She crouched over him and kissed the top of his head.

"No."

"I said I was sorry," Mark added. "If you hadn't been an ass and put me in a headlock in the first place it wouldn't have happened. Besides, it's not the first time you've gotten hit there. I think we all have."

"Okay enough." Jackie pointed to the box. "Collins is that garland or tinsel? Dan?"

Dan looked in the box and pulled out the strands. "These two are garland." He held up the silver and gold ones. "This one is tinsel." He tossed the red strand at Mark's feet. "It's not hard. Garland's thicker, tinsel's thinner."

"Told you!" Mark said to Mimi. 

"I thought—hmm, never mind. Someone still has to hang up the mistletoe," she pointed out. She plugged the lights back in the outlet.

Roger walked into the living room with a few beers and set them on the coffee table. 

"That was a quick recovery." Mark rolled his eyes and jumped off the chair. "Big baby."

"Yeah seriously Roger, that was completely staged. It couldn't have hurt that bad," Jackie laughed. She grabbed a beer off the table and took a sip out of it.

"Oh what is it? Gang up on Roger Davis day? Did everyone drink their haterade this morning?"

"Come to think of it, I had some of it with my coffee and bagel before class," Collins chuckled. "Yes Roger, we are all out to get you."

Roger grabbed the mistletoe and hung it over Mimi's head. "Do I get a kiss?"

"Hmm. Are we done being dramatic?" she asked. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood up.

"Maybe," he smirked. He leaned in to give her a kiss. "Better?"

"Much."

*         *         *         *


	50. 50

CHAPTER 50

A/N:

Just a reminder of characters:

**Nancy**: Jackie's mother. 

**Marlee**: Jackie's stepsister, who is eight. Jackie's mother remarried after divorcing Jackie's father, Jacob. Jackie does have one other sister, **Kate**, who is nineteen and lives in Sydney with Jacob.

And thanks for all of those reviews! I think you guys are going to like this chapter. It's a pretty light, happy Christmas one, so enjoy and don't forget to leave me a review!

*         *           *              *

Roger rolled over onto his side and opened his eyes. His arm had been draped somewhat over Mimi the entire night, but now she was curled up under the comforter with her hands tucked under her chin. He yawned and kissed her forehead, not wanting to wake her up right away. Although Jaylynn didn't always let either one of them sleep through most of the night, the baby was starting to get into a more predictable routine, which only required Mimi or Roger to get up about once to feed her and take care of her. She'd be four months old on January fifth, and Roger honestly didn't know where all of the time had gone. 

He reached his arm off and grabbed his pills off of the table and dumped the dosage into his hand, quickly swallowing them with the glass of water that had been left on the nightstand from the previous night.

Mimi shifted her body on the bed and opened her eyes. "Hey," she greeted, looking over at him. "Merry Christmas."

Roger pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arm around her back. "Merry Christmas baby."

She yawned and leaned over him to take her pills. "How long were you up?"

"Maybe five minutes? Just watching you sleep," he laughed. "Cause I'm perverted, babe."

She rolled her eyes. "That's the Christmas sprit. What time did Jaylynn wake you up?"

"Um, I guess around 5:30. I fed her and she fell asleep again."

"Okay." Mimi looked at the clock. "Is **anybody** actually up yet?"

"Didn't hear anything next door, so I guess not. Usually Mark or Jackie are up by now with Luke."

"Maybe everyone just wanted to be extremely lazy and sleep in like I want to do right now. I think this is about the latest I've ever gotten up on Christmas morning. Like when I was a kid, you were lucky to make it to at least seven."

"Seven? Try quarter to six. And that was only because my little brother would run around the house screaming at the top of his lungs to wake up now or we'd get it."

"Yeah well, I'd rather spend the whole morning in bed unless Mark comes and drags us out of here or Jaylynn wakes up," Mimi smiled, pressing her face into Roger's chest.

"I guess you don't want your presents then?" Roger smirked at her.

"They can wait. Plus the bed is warm," she pouted at him.

"Not when I smell sausage."

Mimi made a face at this. "I hope it's not Mark who's making breakfast this year, because last year he accidentally bought that vegetarian sausage, you remember that shit?"

"Yeah. Don't remind me. Collins hated it so much that he went down to the store to get the regular kind. But that was after you forgot to add the coffee grinds to the coffee. What did you make? Watery coffee?" Roger laughed.

"Shut up. At least I can cook! I think I did a pretty damn good job with that lasagna when your parents came over for dinner." She giggled and smacked him on the arm. 

Mark's voice came echoing through the door. "Are you guys up yet? Or do you actually have any plans to get out of bed today?"

Roger rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at the door just as it opened, missing Mark's head by inches. "If you're making breakfast, then no. Like that time you made me motzah ball soup when I was sick a few years back and I spent the rest of the night and part of the morning praying to the porcelain god with both ends."

Mimi snorted and covered her mouth with her hands. "Roger that's disgusting! Jesus!"

Jackie walked over to the door and sat on the edge of Mimi and Roger's bed with Mark. "Mark hasn't made me motzah ball soup yet," she laughed.

Roger shuddered and ran his hand through his hair. "And don't let him either. If anyone tries to make you that _stuff_, let Eva do it. Mark's mom actually knows what she's doing."

"It wasn't that bad!" Mark defended himself. "I ate it and didn't have any problems."

"Yeah whatever."

"Behave," Mimi laughed. "Hey where's your little man?"

"He's in the kitchen with my mom. She wants to spend as much time with him as possible before she leaves on Saturday."

Mark laughed and Jackie stretched out on the bed, settling her head in Mark's lap. "Any more quality time with that kid and she'll be begging us to take him back to Sydney with her."

"Yeah really, it's gonna suck not having the extra babysitter around here. Plus I think I gained ten pounds with all of her cooking," Roger grinned.

Mimi poked him in his stomach. "Oh yeah, you got real fat Roger. Really. Shut up," she sarcastically grinned.

"Hey I cook!" Mark protested. 

Jackie looked up at him and shook her head. "He means cooking Mark, not ordering take out every other day," she laughed.

Nancy knocked on the doorframe and stuck her head in. She was holding Luke and balancing a cup of coffee in the other. "So, are we all getting up to eat or did I just cook breakfast for nothing?" she smiled at them. "Oh and Jackie sweetie, Candace Bertrand called for you this morning from the ballet school. She mentioned something about upcoming auditions for Swan Lake and wanted to know if you would be interested in trying out. She didn't know if you were feeling up to it since you just had the baby and everything. She left a number with instructions to call her when you get a chance and she'll give you all the information."

Jackie sat up and nodded. "Okay. Thanks." She took Luke from her mother and walked out of the bedroom carrying him.

Mark stood up as well and picked up the pillow on the floor. He tossed it one handedly at Roger's head and got him right in the forehead. "Get up, loser."

Roger gathered Mimi in his arms and half carried her off the bed and into the living room. "Come on, don't you want to celebrate?" he laughed as she tried to squirm out of his grasp.

"Celebrate you being a pain in the ass, then yes," she grinned at him before kissing him on the cheek. She stretched out on the couch and pulled the blanket over herself. Her gaze settled at the bottom of the tree, where scattered piles of presents were gathered under it. "When did you find the time to put them under there?" she asked curiously.

"What are you talking about?" Roger grinned. "I didn't do anything."

"Yeah," Mark chimed in. "Santa did it."

Jackie laughed before placing Luke in his carrier. "You both are 27 years old! You can't even fit on Santa's lap anymore!"

"Almost. Next month for me," Mark pointed out. "Hey Rog, remember when you pulled the beard off that mall Santa and your mom almost killed you? Then you called him a fake and refused to let "some fat ass" decide at one time whether or not you were good all year," Mark laughed.

"I was nine years old okay! Santa wasn't cool anymore," Roger added, trying to defend himself. He had just walked out of the baby's room with Jaylynn, who was cooing contentedly against his shoulder. 

"Marlee wouldn't even sit on Santa's lap this year," Jackie's mother added. "She said that she was too old for it."

"I don't blame the kid. Santa's are usually middle aged perverted men who can't get any from their wives."

"Roger!" Nancy laughed at him. "Honestly."

"Well then it's a good thing you didn't sit on his lap that year."

"Shut up, Mark."

"Are you all opening presents or eating breakfast first?" Nancy started passing out cups of coffee to Roger, Mark, Jackie, and Mimi. Luke had also started to cry and fuss in Jackie's arms, so Nancy quickly picked him up and carried him into the kitchen with her. "Sweetie I'm going to try to get him back to sleep since you already fed him."

Jackie nodded. "Thanks Mommy."

"Aww, she calls her mom Mommy!" Roger laughed. 

"Shut up! At least I call my mom!" 

"Oh, she's got you their babe," Mimi laughed. She stood up and grabbed a bottle from the refrigerator and stuck it in the bottle warmer before sitting back down on the couch.

Roger dove into the pile and started passing out the gifts. He handed the first one to Mimi and set Jaylynn in her swing so she could open the present. "That's from me for you."

Mimi rolled her eyes and kissed him. "Obviously."

"Hey, no attitude or I'll take it back!" he threatened.

Mimi pulled the wrapping paper off of the gift and opened the box. "You're such a dork!" she laughed at him. She pulled out three pairs of tiny checked boxers, a perfect fit for her frame. "I guess this is a hint then?"

"Yeah," Mark agreed. "That he was tired of you wearing his all the time when you were pregnant."

"I hope you're not getting any ideas," Jackie laughed. "Just because I'm not pregnant anymore doesn't mean I'm not going to wear your boxers."

Roger wrapped his arm around Mimi's waist and kissed the top of my head. "You can wear my boxers whenever you want to. I just figured you might want some of your own."

"Well thanks for your permission," she giggled. She grabbed the red Santa hat off the coffee table and placed it on top of Roger's blonde spikes. "You can be my Santa now, baby. But only if you let me sit on your lap."

"Hell yeah," he agreed. "I've got to let you, you are my wife."

"I still can't get used to that."

"Actually, neither can I. It makes me sound too old." He kissed her on the neck as she pulled herself into his lap.

Mark passed a small wrapped box to Jackie. She raised her eyebrow at him as she opened it, revealing a blue velvet box. "Mark I swear, if this is another engagement ring I'm going to kill you! You already spent too much on this one!" she teased him.

"Just open it," he laughed. "And don't tell me how much I'm aloud to spend on you."

"Okay," she smiled at him. "Mark, they're beautiful!" She held up the two silver hoop earrings so Mimi and Roger could see.

"I went through a lot for those earrings. I even had to take Mo shopping so she could help me pick them out. But I wanted to get you something that reminded me of something close to how we first met," he pointed out.

Jackie blushed and rested her head on Mark's shoulder. "Oh yeah, that night—"

"I remember that night," Roger groaned. "You were both were loud."

That statement caused Jackie to blush even more. "It wasn't a night like that! It was the night I stayed here after I met up with Mark at the hospital. I left my hoop earrings in the soap dish and had to come back the next morning to get them."

"Yeah Roger, the night when I collapsed and caused a scene at the Life? Because I was anemic?" Mimi reminded him. She had said it so carelessly that Roger almost couldn't believe it had come out of her mouth that way.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat and wrapped his arms a little bit tighter around her waist. "Yeah I remember. You scared the shit out of me that night. I thought I was going to lose you again."

Mimi squeezed his hand. "But you didn't. I'm still right here." She smiled up at him and kissed him softly.

"I know."

"Wait I have something for you. I forgot about it." She stood up and ran into their bedroom. Roger heard the closet door open and close and then the sound of Mimi running back into the living room. She jumped onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, handing him the small box. "Here."

Roger untied the ribbon and opened it. He separated the white tissue paper to reveal a smooth black guitar pick. White scripted letters formed the word 'Daddy' on the front side, while the back was just plain. Roger grinned as he flipped it over from back to front and kissed Mimi on the forehead. 

"Thanks baby. I love it."

"Really?"

"Well there goes his whole bad boy image," Mark joked dryly. "Down the drain." Jackie shoved him playfully and Mark wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah. I love it." He kissed her again and placed the pick back in the box.

"Good," she giggled, reaching her hand up to play with his Santa hat.

*          *           *            *

They all exchanged a few more presents between themselves. Mimi had gotten Mark a whole assortment of scarves to add some variety to his wardrobe, along with a few onesies for Luke and a set of pacifiers. She had gotten Jackie a pair of legwarmers for dance, along with a few shirts from a thrift store downtown that she thought were very bohemian and absolutely necessary to turn Jackie fully American. She even bought her a mesh shirt and matching arm warmers.

Mark had ended up giving Roger another pair of plaid pants and a black zip up sweatshirt to replace his ratty old green one that was just about worn through, although Mimi still wore it to bed sometimes and around the house. 

"And these," Mark tossed him the box. "Are extras since you never do your laundry."

"Hey, I do his laundry! And yours too!" Mimi laughed.

Roger pulled out the stacks of boxers and grinned. "Thanks. Now you get to pick from even more, Meems," he teased her. She rolled her eyes at him while she walked around the room, feeding Jaylynn her bottle.

By eleven, they had almost finished with the presents. Roger had gotten Mark an assortment of independent films as well as a stack of films directed by Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg, who Roger always knew Mark had admired. But perhaps the biggest surprise Mark encountered was the brand new digital video camera that Jackie, Mimi, Collins, Dan, Maureen, Harvey and Roger had all pitched in to buy for him. Even after Mark had read the instruction manual front to back and started charging the battery, he still couldn't pull himself away from it until Jackie told him that they were going with her mother over to Shawn and Jillian's to exchange presents there.

Roger entered the baby's room once Mark and Jackie had left with Luke and Nancy. "Hey. She fall asleep yet?"

"Shh." Mimi put a finger up to her lips and passed the baby monitor to him. She closed the door halfway and walked back out into the living room. "Yeah she's asleep. Hopefully she'll sleep for a few hours."

"So what do you want to do?" he asked, yawning.

"I don't know. Want to try and get some more sleep before Collins and Dan get back from Dan's parent's house in Philadelphia?" she suggested, taking his hand and leading him towards their bedroom. 

"Sure." He settled himself out on the bed and pulled her next to him. "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"One of the best. Sure beats last year's experience, if you know what I mean," she smiled.

"Yeah it does. I can't believe it's been a year since then, your—" Roger sighed and pulled the comforter around them.

"Near death experience?" she finished softly for him. "I know."

"I'm just really thankful to still have you, you know that? Like I know we argue, and we piss each other off, but I don't know where I'd be without you. After—" He paused again and flipped over onto his side to face her.

"You can say it. You can talk about her." She pressed against him and linked her hand through his.

"After April, I never really thought I'd be open to finding someone again. Especially someone like you. And even if I found somebody, I never thought I'd have a kid with that person. But now, this whole year and everything that's happened, my perspective has really changed."

"So has mine. I'm not just talking about Jaylynn either. I'm talking about everything else, too. I mean, one year ago, you and me were just starting over in a way, but now look where we are. We're **married**. Do you believe that?" she laughed. "Collins has even found somebody else. Even Mark's about to get married pretty soon. He's even got a kid! I mean, talk about you having a kid is one thing, because honestly I don't see what that didn't happen any sooner."

"Hey!" he laughed.

"But _Mark_? He used to be so **virginal**." 

"Yeah you're right. But now it's like we're two old married couples with children. I mean, I'm fucking Aunt Mimi and you're Uncle Roger," she pointed out. "Last year I never would have saw any of this coming, but I'm glad it did. Because I think we all needed a change like this to move on with our lives."

"Yeah." Roger rested his head against the pillow. "But you're happy, right?"

She nodded. "Of course I am. Are you?"

"You have no idea how happy I am. I don't think I've ever been this happy in a long time."

"Me either." She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you Roger."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."

They stayed like for a good amount of time. Minutes were lost as Roger's fingers stroked Mimi's curly hair and she protectively kept her arm around his chest. 

He looked down at her for a minute. "You know something?"

"Hmm? What?" she asked quietly.

"I have another present for you," he grinned. He sat up pulled open his sock drawer. He hid the item behind his back as he crawled back on the bed.

Mimi sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest. "What's that?"

He opened his hand and held the vanilla candle out in front of him. "A candle."

Her eyes settled fixedly onto it as she bit her lip. "You remembered?"

"Yeah." He grabbed the lighter off of the nightstand and held it near the candle. "You have to say it though."

She smiled at him as a tear slid down her cheek. "Would you light my candle?" she asked him before starting to cry. He lit the candle with the lighter and she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "What are you staring at?" 

He grinned at her and leaned in to kiss her. "Nothing," he whispered. "Don't cry."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. "I can't help it."

"Merry Christmas baby." He held the candle with one hand and started rubbing her back with the other.

"Merry Christmas," she sobbed into his shoulder. "Thank you."

*          *           *             *

Review!


	51. 51

CHAPTER 51

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys really enjoyed that last chapter because I really enjoyed writing it. :o)

Just as a heads up, we're now into mid January 1998. Wow, time flies. Jaylynn's almost five months old, and Luke is just about two months. 

*        *        *          *

Roger stuck his head in Mark's room and grinned. "Hey."

"Hi." Mark pulled his eyes away from the laptop screen and stopped typing. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I've come to bother you." Roger jumped obnoxiously onto the bed and grabbed a pillow, which he placed under his head before stretching out.

Mark rolled his eyes and resumed his typing. "Then go bother Collins or something. Try Maureen."

"Can't. Collins is at class, and Maureen is trying out for that play, _Chicago_, or something."

"Then go entertain yourself with your guitar. Or watch TV. Or play with your daughter. Go sit out on the fire escape. Just don't bother me," Mark said irritably. 

Roger sat up and stared at Mark. "What's your problem?"

"You."

"Okay." Roger lied back down on the bed.

"Don't you take a hint, or something?" Mark slammed the screen of his laptop down and placed it on the nightstand.

"Christ, okay. I just figured that since both of our women are out somewhere we could hang out."

"Yeah. You, me and the two kids," Mark reminded him. 

"They're both sleeping. Jay's been down for about an hour and Luke's still sleeping, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

Roger groaned and shook his head at Mark. "So we could watch football. Or hang out and watch a movie. We haven't done that in awhile."

"I'm not in the mood."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not, okay!"

Roger glared at him and got up off the bed. "Forget it. Forget I even mentioned anything."

Mark sighed. "It's not you. I'm just, I don't know, pissed at Jackie."

"What? Why?"

"Because, you know how she's been at auditions and back and forth between here and the ballet school for the past week?"

"Yeah, so?" Roger sat back down and stared at Mark.

"She's trying out for the major spring ballet production. Actually she already tried out. She went back today to see what part she got in it."

Roger ran his fingers through his hair in confusion. "So isn't that a good thing?"

Mark nodded and tried to shake his head at the same time. "Yeah, in a way it is. But she just had the baby a little over a month ago and she's already back dancing? Plus, if she gets a part she'll be doing five shows a week through March and April. I just don't want her to be doing too much too soon."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but you can't stop her from having a life. Before she met you, dancing **was** her life, remember?" he laughed. "She came all the way from Australia to dance here. You were just sort of an add on package to that deal."

"Oh great, thanks."

"Come on, Mark. It was only a joke. You know she loves you."

"Yeah I know. But I don't think she should be dancing this soon."

"Well did the doctor say it was okay?" Roger asked. 

Mark nodded again. "Yeah, she went for her six week checkup two weeks ago. I told you that. She's pretty much healed up and she said she feels fine and almost normal. But I still don't think she should be dancing."

"If you tell her no, you're going to really piss her off. And then you both are gonna be miserable and impossible to live with until you patch things up." He tossed the pillow at the headboard of the bed. "She's gonna go back either way, sooner or later. But you can't really hold her back. She loves what she does. You've just gotta realize that and let her dance until she decides not to anymore."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want her to hurt herself."

"She won't hurt herself. She's been dancing since she was three years old, right?"

"Right."

"She's trained at it, so she'll be fine. Just let her have her space and do what she wants to do."

Mark grinned at him. "Since when did you become so smart?"

Roger shrugged and stood up. He walked over to the doorway and leaned against the wall. "Probably all that Oprah I watch with Mimi when we're bored and Jaylynn's asleep."

Mark flipped him off. "Get out of here."

"Gladly. But you still owe me a football date."

*         *         *         *

Jackie walked back into the loft later that afternoon. She dropped her dance bag on the couch and took of her coat and gloves before slipping off her shoes. 

"Mark?"

"Hey," he greeted, walking out of the baby's room. "How was it?"

"Good." She kissed him and walked into the kitchen.  
  


"Just good?" He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and opened it. He took a sip and then passed it to her. "What'd you get?"

She sipped the water and set it down on the counter. "Odette. Harvey got the male lead."

"So isn't Odette the female lead?"

She nodded and yawned. "Yeah."

"Congratulations," he grinned as he pulled her close. "You deserve it."

"You mean that?" 

"What do you think?" he laughed as he kissed her again. "I just don't want you to do too much too soon."

"Funny, I've been getting that a lot. Most of the people there were surprised that I tried out."

Mark wrapped his arms around her stomach. "I guess you showed them."

"Yeah, I guess I did." She took another sip from the water bottle. "So what's for dinner?"

"I don't know. What do you want?"

"Do we actually have anything?" Jackie pulled away from him and opened the refrigerator door. She took a quick look around and frowned. "Guess not."

"Take out?" Mark suggested. "Let me ask Roger what he wants to get, because they probably don't have food either."

"I don't care. A salad's fine for me."

"That's it?"

Jackie nodded, a little surprised at him. "Yeah. I'm hungry, but not that hungry."

"Okay," he sighed. "I just wish you would eat more."

"Well I have to cut back for rehearsals and the show. You know that," she reminded him. "But whatever, if it makes you happy I'll have pizza or Chinese tonight."

"Yeah."

She nodded. "Then I will. Did Luke get up yet at all since I left?"

"A little bit. But then he just fell back asleep. He'll probably be hungry when he gets up though."

"Okay. I'm gonna go take a shower. Let me know what you end up getting." She kissed him another time before leaving the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure."

*         *         *          *

"No. Because I said so." Mimi twisted the phone cord between her fingers and picked up the pacifier that Jaylynn had just flung onto the ground from her swing. "No. I don't want her to see her. I don't care—excuse me? No."

Roger watched Mimi closely as he took off his leather jacket and boots. "What's going on?" he mouthed to her.

She only glared and turned her back on him. "Jesus Christ, just because!" she shouted, flinging the pacifier into the sink. "No. Tell her not to come. I don't want to see her. Fine. Fuck you too."

"What happened?" Roger slid onto the barstool and drummed his fingers against the top of the counter. 

"Nothing."

"Goddammit Mimi, that's the third time you've fucking been on the phone with your sister this week," he yelled at her. He sighed and rested his head in his hands. "So cut the shit and tell me what happened."

Mimi glared at him and brushed by him. "Not with you talking to me like that," she replied huffily. "What's with you?"

"I asked you first," he retorted. "And nothing's with me. I'm just tired and didn't get any sleep last night."

"Oh, big surprise. You think I get sleep at night?" 

"Let's not make it all about you today, okay?" he snapped back at her. 

"I'm not! You're the one who jumped down my throat the second you walked in the door!" she shouted at him. "Christ, Roger."

"Can we just not argue? And pass me the Tylenol because I have a headache."

Mimi reached into the cabinet and pulled out the white bottle. "There." She unscrewed the cap and threw it at him. The bottle hit the edge of the counter and the cap popped off, causing the pills to scatter all over the floor. "Shit!"

Roger groaned and stared at her. "Great."

"Don't get me started!" she shouted at him. She sat down on the floor and started picking up the pills and gathering them in her hand. She placed two Tylenol in front of him. "Just take it and shut up."

"Mimi, come on." He swallowed the two pills with the glass of water she had just handed him. "It's not a big deal. Just calm down."

"No, it is a big deal. Everything's a big deal with us and this stupid fucking apartment! Like sometimes I just think I need to get away from here."

"From me?" he asked stupidly.

"No. I don't know. I'm just tired of having Mark always asking a ton of questions like he's God, or something. I'm tired of you constantly having people over here from work, from the band. It's just like we get no peace around here because there's always someone or something running through that door every hour of the goddamn day."

Roger stood up and grabbed his AZT bottle and took those pills as he tried to think of something to say. "So what do you want me to tell you? And where is this all coming from, because you've been fine the past few days."

"I don't know." She walked into the bedroom and curled up on her side, facing away from him. 

Roger made sure Jaylynn was still asleep before following Mimi. "Baby?"

She didn't answer him as he walked into the room. He stretched out on the bed next to her and started rubbing her back in slow circles, like he used to do for her when she was pregnant. He sighed and rested his hand on her hip. "I know this probably isn't the best time to tell you, but I have to go away for awhile again. The tour for the CD was set up last night. I'll be gone on and off for the next three months."

"Okay." 

"You're not mad?"

"I honestly don't care what you do, Roger."

Roger sat up and stared down at her. "What's **that** supposed to mean?"

"I just don't understand you. Okay great, you have a music career. It's what you always wanted, right? But musicians aren't supposed to have a wife and a kid to tie them down."

"Mimi—I'll call you—"

"No. You won't!" She had started to cry by now. "You won't call me! You won't come home!"

"Holy shit, Mimi, what the hell's going on?" he asked her. He pulled her close and she rested her head on his shoulder. He then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead while she continued sobbing.

"Everyone's abandoning each other. My mother, god I'm so pissed off at her! But I don't know why I'm keeping her from Jaylynn. Maybe it's because I don't want her to leave her like she left me when I was growing up. I don't want her to see her, but I do." She wiped at her eyes. "And Dan. Danny's sick Rog. I had lunch with Collins today and he told me everything."

"What—how? He was okay. He was fine when we saw him a few days ago," Roger said. "He was fine." He sighed dropped his hands into his lap. "How sick?"

"Collins took him to the clinic two weeks ago for his appointment, and they had to do the blood work and everything. Well they diagnosed him with Kaposi's sarcoma."

"The bruising on the skin?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. Except it's not really bruises."

"Oh." Roger swallowed and stretched out onto his back. Mimi was still sitting up and had her arms wrapped around herself. "Does Mark know?"

She shrugged. "I don't think so. Unless Collins went and told him right after he told me."

"Jesus. But Dan's—32."

"Yeah. I know."

"So can't they do anything for him?"

"They can. But it spread, so his options are chemo, radiation, and heavy medication. He's going to be sick for however long he has left."

"How long is that?"

"The doctors say three months, maybe less. Depending on what else it spreads to and how fast it does." She started crying again as she said this and curled up next to Roger. "I just can't believe it. And Collins, god he doesn't deserve this all over again."

"I know."

"But it's going to happen to him and I don't want it to. It's not fair," she repeated. "It's just not. They're both good people. Collins finally found someone again after Angel. It's not right."

"I know."

She grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and wiped her eyes. "I hate it."

"I'm not going."

"Going?"

"On tour. Fuck it. Forget it. I'm not leaving. They can get a fucking replacement. I'll quit if I have to. I'm not going and abandoning you all right now. I'll regret it if I do."

Mimi shook her head and let out a deep breath. "Dan won't let you do that."

"I don't care."

"Roger, he wouldn't want you to. You can even ask him yourself and he'd tell you the same."

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself for three months!" he exclaimed, frustrated. "I'm not."

"So what? You're going to sacrifice your musical career?"

"I'll get the tour postponed or cut back. If I can't do either one I'm quitting. I'll talk to Wes. I'll talk to our fucking manager."

Mimi nodded and pressed her head against his shoulder. "Okay. I'd just really feel better about you being here with me."

"I know. I'm staying." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her. "I'm not going anywhere."

*        *       *          * 

Review!


	52. 52

CHAPTER 52

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone, as always. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as well.

**Sho **asked: so where were Collins and mo this Xmas?

Collins was in Philadelphia visiting Dan's parents with him. Mo was in Los Angeles visiting Harvey's parents with him. 

Enjoy guys, and have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

*        *        *       *

Dearly beloved 

_We gather here to say our goodbyes…_

Roger tossed his keys and cell phone onto the kitchen counter. He slipped off his jacket and boots as quietly as possibly. Normally at this time everyone would be gathered in the living room or already making plans for the night, but for the first time in months it was quiet. He didn't even hear anything coming from next door. 

He rubbed his temples as he crossed into the living room. He hated that fact that it had happened all over again. Just like Angel. The pain, the sadness, the general quiet of the loft. Slumping back against the couch, he looked at the surface of the coffee table and picked up the newspaper clipping that someone had cut out. Probably Mimi earlier that morning, when he had already left for work.

He fingered the typed print and sighed before starting to read.

_Daniel Harrison Leone, 32,_

_Manhattan interior designer_

_Daniel Harrison Leone, 32, died Wednesday (February 4, 1998) from AIDS related complications at Mount Sinai Hospital, Manhattan. Leone was born in Philadelphia and resided there until he graduated high school in 1984. Upon his graduation, he attended the Parsons School of Design. He received his AAS degree in 1988 and continued on to start his own business, Leone Interior. _

_ He is survived by his partner, Thomas B. Collins, 29; his parents, Robert and Ellen Leone of Philadelphia; his sister Maria of Boston; as well as friends Mark Cohen of Scarsdale; Roger and Mimi Davis of Manhattan, Jacqueline Ferrell of Sydney; Harvey Spataro; and Maureen Johnson._

_Funeral services will begin 10 AM Saturday in Manhattan. Internment will follow thereafter. Donations may be made to the pediatric AIDS foundation. _

Tossing the clipping back on the table, he stood up and made his way into the bedroom. Mimi was curled up on her side, along with Jackie and Mark, who were both sound asleep. If it wasn't such a serious situation, he probably would have laughed, considering he couldn't remember the last time they had all fallen asleep on his bed. Instead, he crouched over Mimi and kissed her forehead.

Her eyes opened automatically and she loosened her grip on the tissue in her hand. "Hey."

"Hey." He sat down on the edge of the bed. 

"Did you get Jaylynn to your mom's okay?" she asked.

He ran his fingers through her curls and nodded. "Yeah. She said that it doesn't matter how long she stays, so I figured we'd pick her up Monday morning. This way we can go to the funeral tomorrow, then just sort of be there for Collins on Sunday if he needs us."

"That's fine. Did she give you a hard time?"

Roger shook his head. "Nah. I gave my mom her teething ring and then my mom told me not to worry about anything, she had to raise me and my four brothers and sisters," he laughed.

Mimi propped her head up on her arm. "I got your suit from the dry cleaners. Actually Mark did this morning."

"Okay." Roger looked over at Mark. Jackie had her back facing him and Mark's arm was casually draped over her waist. "Can I ask why they're laying in my bed?"

"We got back from the cleaners and we all came in here and started talking. Then the next thing I knew, Jackie put Luke down for his nap and fell asleep here. Then I fell asleep, and I guess Mark figured there was no point in leaving."

"Yeah." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "So how are you holding up?"

"I'm okay. How's Collins?"

Roger sighed. "He's okay, as far as I can tell. I helped him finish up a lot of the paperwork from the hospital and everything else after I got back from Scarsdale, and he didn't say much of anything to me."

"Yeah. He hasn't been saying much of anything."

"I don't think we expect him to."

Mimi wiped at her eyes with the crumpled tissue. "Benny came by before."

"Yeah? What did he want?" Normally Roger would have responded with a comment about Benny, but now he just didn't see the point.

"He paid his respects to Collins and helped him out with a few things."

"Surprising. You know something?"

"What?" She looked up at him as he said this.

"When I was sitting in that apartment with Collins, I couldn't help but think that you know, it's been through so much. First it was just Collins' apartment. Then it was Collins and Angel's. Then after Angel died, it was just Collins'. Then Collins and Danny's. And now that Dan died, he's alone again. I just don't think that's fucking fair at all."

Mimi shook her head. "Neither do I. But there's absolutely nothing we can do about that, and that's what's killing all of us."

Roger kissed her forehead as she started crying again.

*          *           *           * 

Mark knocked on the bathroom door. "Jac?" 

"Yeah?"

He opened the bathroom door and found Jackie finishing up with her makeup. "Almost ready?"

"Yeah." She tossed her mascara back in her makeup bag. "I don't even know why I'm bothering to put makeup on when it's just going to run all over my face."

Mark walked over to her and slipped his hand through hers. "It'll be okay. I promise."

She nodded and let him led her out of the bathroom. "You sure it's okay that we leave Luke with your sister?"

"It's fine," Mark reassured her. They both slipped on their coats and Jackie adjusted her stiletto heels before walking out of the door with Mark. They reached the limo that was waiting at the curb. It had been sent over for Collins by Dan's parents, and they had insisted that he and his friends use it at their discretion. 

Jackie slid inside, followed by Mark. "Hi," she greeted everyone. She was seated next to Harvey, and he had his hand linked through Maureen's. Roger and Mimi were sitting together on the other side with Collins, and neither one said anything when Mark and Jackie had finally gotten inside. 

The ride to the church had taken less than twenty minutes, and in those minutes, Maureen and Jackie had attempted to make small talk with anyone who would have it. Maureen slightly mentioned that she had gotten the understudy part for Roxie Hart in the Broadway play _Chicago_, although she would hopefully be starting full time in April once the current girl quit. No one actually congratulated her, but she hadn't expected it in the first place.

Collins had exited the limo first, and had immediately disappeared into the church with the priest and Dan's parents. Roger helped Mimi out, as did Mark for Jackie.

"So should we go in and get seats?" Roger asked Mark.

He shrugged and wrapped his arm around Jackie's waist. "I'm Jewish. You're the Catholic one, remember?"

"It was just a common sense question okay?" Roger argued back at him.

Mimi glared at them both and rubbed her temples. "Just both of you, shut the fuck up right now and stop acting like five year olds. Collins doesn't need this right now, and frankly, neither do I." She walked away and into the church by herself, leaving Roger, Mark, and Jackie on the curb.

Jackie sighed and turned to Mark. "I'm going to follow her. You're not going to kill each other if I leave you both out here alone, are you?"

Roger shrugged and shoved his hands in his jacket pocket. "Let's go."

Mark agreed and walked in with him, side by side.

They had managed to pull their way through the crowds of people gathered. Mimi and Jackie were positioned near the front with Harvey and Maureen. Roger carefully moved into the pew and sat down next to her. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," she said carelessly. "We're all just really stressed out right now."

"Yeah." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Where's Collins?"

"Sitting with Dan's family over there." Mimi pointed to the first pew, where Collins was seated next to a middle aged man and woman, along with Dan's sister Maria.

"I thought he'd sit with us," Maureen chimed in.

"Yeah, so did I," Mark added.

*        *       *       *

"Where do you want all this food?" Maureen asked. 

She and Harvey had their hands full with various cakes, pies, and meals, all courtesy of close friends, family, and coworkers of Dan. They had been slowly dropped off over the course of the day, but hadn't really been put away in any kind of particular order.

Collins looked up from the couch, where he was fixedly writing something on a piece of paper. "The desserts can go in the fridge. Put the meals in the freezer. Or take some of them home with you. I won't be eating all of them."

Maureen glanced at Harvey and nodded. "I guess we should just start stacking them."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Hey um—" He pulled Maureen aside and further into the kitchen. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I hope so." She kissed Harvey on the cheek and started reorganizing Collins' refrigerator. 

Harvey wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She looked back at him and bit her lip. "I'll be okay." He kissed her just as Roger and Mimi walked into the kitchen. Maureen pulled away from him and slightly moved Harvey's hand off of her ass. "Oops," she giggled as Harvey laughed into her shoulder. She reached over for her martini glass and took a sip out of it.

Roger rolled his eyes and took it from her. Instead he finished it off and set it back on the counter. "You're pathetic."

"Roger," Mimi hissed at him. 

"But she is! Look at her. Can you believe she actually wore a dress that tight to a funeral?" he said, altogether too loudly. "I mean seriously Mimi, she looks like she's trying to fuck the alter boy."

Mimi stared at him in shock. She knew Roger had a few drinks at the Life with everyone else after service at Collins' request, but he was barely intoxicated, although he had been silent and withdrawn in the limo back to the apartment. 

Maureen opened her mouth to say something, but instead refilled her martini glass and laughed. Mimi knew Maureen was drunk by this point. "Oh look who decided to play leader today!" she said brightly, waving her arm in his direction. "Roger Davis, the former ex junkie and ladies' man himself! Oh no! Did I really say it? Let me bow down and kiss your feet right now because I'm so incredibly sorry."

"Shut up, Maureen," Roger scoffed at her. "Just do us all a favor and shut the fuck up."

"Roger!" Mimi shouted at him. "Stop it!"

Harvey took the glass from Maureen and set it on the counter. "Seriously, what's your problem?"

Roger laughed. "I've had lots of fucking problems, including your sister."

Harvey lunged for Roger, but luckily Mark had just come around the corner and grabbed him back just in time. Jackie walked out of Collins' spare bedroom, where she had just put down Luke for a nap, and walked over to Mimi to survey the scene.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked Harvey and Roger. "Don't you both have any respect?"

"I do. But Roger had to be an ass and first of all attack my girlfriend, and then insulted my sister."

Roger dove for Harvey and slammed him against the back of the kitchen counter. "I wasn't insulting April, okay? You don't know what we were like together. You don't know what I went through after she died. And where were you? You were probably on some yacht in Nantucket!" he shouted at him. 

Harvey extended his arm and hooked Roger in his jaw. It happened in slow motion. Everyone in the room saw it—but nobody made any intention of stopping it. "You're a bastard. A no good, lying, junkie—"

"Dammit!" he cursed in pain. Roger caught Harvey on his cheek with his fist as Maureen smacked Roger on the side of his head. 

"You're an asshole!" she screamed at him. "I hate you! You're the pathetic one, not me, okay?" Her lip started trembling as she brushed at a curl that had fallen into her face. "You have no right to sit here and judge people when you aren't perfect yourself! You're far from it!"

Mark pulled Roger away from Harvey and forced him down in the chair. "At least I don't sleep with everything with a dick," he shot back at her.

Maureen was crying by now and Harvey shot Roger a menacing glare. "Well at least I never had to inject a drug into my veins to make me happy," she sobbed before running out of the room. 

"Maureen!" Harvey shouted after her as he made his way towards the fire escape. 

"Can I ask why the two of you seem to think that my apartment is a battleground?" Collins asked simply. He was leaning against the wall and watching them all with the beginnings of a frown lingering on his face. 

Mark, Roger, Jackie, and Mimi all turned around when they heard Collins speak. They hadn't noticed him standing there, and honestly had no idea how much he had seen or heard. But when they saw the disappointed look on his face, they all felt incredibly guilty for what he had just witnessed. 

Roger stood up and faced him. "Collins—I," He held his hand to his bleeding lip as Mimi handed him a paper towel. 

"You know, this time I'm not really interested in the how or why. If I'm not mistaken, it seems that a similar event to this one took place at Angel's funeral, and we all know what happened then. So Roger man, if you honestly have some unresolved issue with one of us, or something going on in your life, then I think you'd just better say it," Collins added calmly. "Because I think you've disrespected Dan and myself enough today, along with disrespecting yourself, Maureen, and Harvey."

Roger pressed the paper towel against his lip. "Fine. Alright, you all really want to know what's going on with me? Guess what? A part of me really wants to go on that goddamn tour and play my music, our music, the band's music. But I can't! I can't fucking go, because the other part of me knows that I have to stay here. So my career's about to go out the damn window, and nobody gives a shit! Nobody."

"Roger no, that's not true," Mimi said, pressing her hand against his arm. 

"It's not? Then tell me why every time I try to bring it up with you, you don't want to hear about it? Like I'm supposed to stay here and waste away for however long I have left with all of you!" he shouted at her. 

Mimi bit her lip and stared back at Mark, who had a disgusted look on his face. "What do you want me to tell you Roger?"

"I don't know!" 

Collins shook his head and shifted his weight. "I've never said one word against you, Rog. I listened to you when you need someone there for you, and I helped pull you through withdrawal with Mark. But I'll be damned if I'm going to stand here and listen to you talk to your wife and your best friend this way. You want to go, you want to leave? What's stopping you? You want to spend hours on a tour bus playing show after show and sleeping with groupie after groupie then go ahead. The door's right that way. Nobody is stopping you. So don't you dare think you owe us anything at all." With that said, Collins opened the apartment door and slammed it loudly behind him.

"Jesus Christ!" Mark exclaimed, slamming the beer he was holding down on the counter. "Good fucking going, Roger."

"You know what Mark? I don't need it from you either, so shut your fucking mouth."

"Stop it," Mimi spoke up quietly. "Just both of you, stop it! Don't you get it! It's just like Angel! We're arguing again just like at his funeral. Don't you see what you're doing to Collins? He's always been the strong one for us and how do we repay him? By fighting and insulting each other at his boyfriend's funeral! What's wrong with us?" she shouted. "You want to talk about being unhappy Roger? Then why don't you go! Get out and fucking by an apartment where you can be a bachelor for the rest of your life. We all love you. Your daughter loves you! Why can't you see any of that instead of bitching about how once again, life has screwed you over. Guess what? We're all screwed over then."

"Mimi, calm down," Mark interrupted quietly. "Look, why don't we all just go upstairs and chill out. I'll go looking for Collins and then we can all talk later." He looked over to Roger, who had his eyes locked on the floor. "Okay Roger?"

"Yeah," he mumbled.

Mimi grabbed her coat and slipped it on, not waiting for him to follow before Roger grabbed her arm. "Get off," she warned him, pulling it out of his grasp.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. He closed the door and followed her up the steel stairs to the loft. 

She turned around, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. "I want a divorce."

Roger stared at her and shook his head. "What? Mimi, come on."

"I do!" She wrapped her arms around herself and starting crying harder. 

"No you don't!" he shouted at her.

"No I don't," she sobbed. "I love you." She then walked over to him and pressed her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around his stomach. "I miss him."

Roger kissed the top of her head and pulled her in close. "I know babe. I miss him too."

"I love you."

"I love you too." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her into the loft. They both made their way towards the bedroom. Roger sat down on the bed and loosened his tie, while Mimi quickly changed out of her dress and into a pair of pajama pants and a tee shirt of his. 

She stretched out on the bed and Roger followed. He pulled her next to him and wrapped his arm around his waist. "Long day."

"The worst," she replied. "Now that everyone's mad at you."

"I'll talk to them and apologize later," he reassured her. "But you're okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay."

"I really miss him." She started crying again and Roger started rubbing her back.

"Yeah."

"You know what only reason I didn't want you to go on that tour was because—because I'm afraid that if you go, you won't come back," she whispered. "And I'm not ready to live without you right now."

Roger didn't know what to say to that, so instead he just rubbed her back until she eventually fell asleep.

*          *         *          *

Maureen took a drag of her cigarette as she sat on the fire escape in the lawn chair. It had started to pour a few minutes ago, and her black dress was clinging to her, as was her curly hair. She knew Roger could say a lot of things when he was pissed off or drunk, and usually she was pretty good about taking them. Half the time she'd dish them back at him. But today, for some reason, she just snapped. It wasn't so much the fact that he had basically called her a whore, but it bothered her the most because she had **tried** to correct her ways. No one seemed to realize it. She and Harvey had been with each other for seven months, and she didn't care what anyone had to say about their relationship. She was in love with him, and for the first time in her life it honestly felt right. But what _was_ wrong was that Roger criticized her and implied that she was cheating on Harvey right in front of her and everyone else in that room. She hated that for so many reasons, but mainly because no matter what she did, everyone still viewed her as the designated whore.  

"Maureen?"

She put out her cigarette in the ashtray and set it by her feet. "Hi," she said quietly.

He came up behind her and wrapped a towel around her shoulders. "What did I tell you about smoking?"

She smiled a little at that. "I got them from your jacket pocket."

"I kind of figured something was missing?"

She tossed the pack back to him and he caught it. "There."

"I didn't mean that. I meant you."

"Oh," she said quietly. "Sorry about the scene I caused in there. I just couldn't stay in that room with him."

"So you decided to sit in the rain?" 

"Yeah. Why not." She rested her head against the shoulder of his suit and sighed. 

"He shouldn't have said what he did to you in there," Harvey replied.

"But it's the truth."

"No, it's not." Her faced her and took both of her hands in his. "You're not."

"Well I was," she said bitterly. "Way before I met you."

"I was a lot of things before I met you. I mean, everyone thinks I'm just this whore that can never have a stable relationship. I hate that, because they're so wrong! It's Maureen; oh she's such a drama queen! She sleeps with just about anybody she can manage to. I just wish that—"

Harvey cut her off by kissing her. "Marry me."

Maureen pulled away from him and stared him down. "What? Are you sober?"

He shrugged, laughed and held a finger up in front of her face. "Are you?"

"No! I mean, I am, a little bit!" she laughed. "But—"

"But what?" he asked. "Was that a yes?"

"Yes!" she laughed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. "Yes."

"Okay then." He grinned at her and pulled the velvet box out of his coat pocket, and opened it to reveal a small princess cut pink stoned diamond. He slid the ring on her finger and leaned over and kissed her.

"Harvey! Jesus Christ! How much did you spend on this ring?"

"I'm not telling you."

"It's too expensive," she smiled at him. "But it's beautiful."

"I figured you'd like it."

"I do." She looked at him and started laughing. "You know, I just got this crazy idea."

"Which would be?"

"We should elope. One, because no one would expect it and it'd be random and spontaneous. Two, we could always have a regular wedding later," she laughed.

Harvey felt her forehead and glanced at her. "Is this you talking or the three martinis you had today?"

"Both."

"Well where would we elope?"

"Las Vegas?" she suggested. "Plus, we could go visit your parents after. And then we could just have a wedding with everyone else later on, in the fall or something."

He laughed and pulled her out of the chair. "Before we go anywhere you better change out of that dress."

She grabbed his hand and led him back into the apartment. "So we're going to do it?"

"Looks like it," he grinned. "I better call the airline."

*        *        *       *   

Review please!!


	53. 53

CHAPTER 53

A/N: Thanks for the reviews as always!

*         *          *          *

"Where are you?" 

"In Las Vegas," Harvey responded. He balanced his cell phone with one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Considering it was early, and Maureen was still asleep in the hotel room upstairs, he figured he might as well hit the gym before she woke up.

Jackie set the laundry basket on top of the dryer and tossed a pile of dirty clothes into the washer. "Why? With who?"

He pressed the button on the treadmill and started jogging. "With Maureen. We sort of, eloped?"

She dropped the basket onto the floor. "You did what? When did this happen? I thought you were just busy the past two days!"

"Are you mad?"

"Well, not really." Jackie sat down on the edge of the couch and attempted to start folding the clothes. "Just surprised. Okay, a lot surprised. So you're telling me there's actually a Mrs. Spataro now?"

"Yeah." He took a sip from the water bottle and continued jogging. "But we are having a real wedding. Not that the first wedding wasn't nice, because it was. I guess we just wanted to do something spontaneous."

"Spontaneous is skydiving. Which you've already done," she laughed. "So I guess you needed something else."

"You did it with me," he reminded her. "But Maureen wants to have the wedding in the fall sometime. Speaking of, have you even set a date for yours?"

"Nope. It probably won't be until next spring, the way things are going right now. I have no time to sit down and set up a whole interfaith wedding between rehearsals for the show and taking care of Luke."

"Right."

Jackie glanced over at the washer, which was starting to make an odd rumbling sound. "Um Harvey, I'm gonna have to call you back."

"Yeah okay. You swear you're not mad?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I'm not really mad. I'll talk to you later."

Jackie hung up the phone and checked the settings on the washer before walking back over to the couch and stacking the folded clothes and towels in piles. Five minutes later she was done, and as she made her way back over to the dryer to check the clothes inside, she felt water drench her socks. Looking down, she noticed that the entire washing machine was leaking water and that it was running out in tiny streams that were forming pools around the whole thing. 

"Shit!" she shouted. "Mark? Can you come here for a sec?"

She heard the bedroom door open and looked over. Mark walked out, yawning, clad in a pair of pajama pants and a shirt. "Yeah?"

"The fucking washer is leaking water. Look at it." 

He walked over and glanced at the puddles forming around the base of it. "Maybe you should shut it off so it doesn't leak anymore? Hello Jac, common sense? Anyone home in there?" He laughed and grabbed her around the waist, kissing her cheek.

"Ew, shut up. Go take a shower and then come and try to make a move on me," she teased him. 

"Only if you'll take one with me?" he pouted. "Please?"

"Yeah okay. But I need to get this cleaned up. Who used it last?"

"Roger," Mark grinned. "Ask him what's wrong with it."

Jackie walked over to the door and stuck her head into Roger and Mimi's apartment. "Roger!" she shouted. 

Roger's bedroom door opened and he stuck his head out. "Yeah?"

"You broke the washer!" she said to him, crossing her arms across his chest.

He looked at her and shrugged. "No I didn't. I know how to do laundry."

"Right. Sure," Mark laughed. "Jac, did you turn the thing off? Because now it's leaking detergent and water."

"Great!" She walked back over to the machine and started pulling the wet clothes out if it, dropping them into the now empty basket. "Don't you two know how to fix anything?"

Roger looked over her shoulder and attempted to shake the washer. "Well that didn't work."

"What the fuck was that supposed to do?" Mark asked skeptically. "Maybe it's off balance."

"Exactly, Sherlock! Why do you think I just shook the damn thing?" He looked down at the bottom of his sweatpants, which were wet. "This is a real picnic." He pressed another button and water started gushing out, only to spray Jackie and Mark.

"Turn it off!" she shouted at him as her hair started plastering to her forehead because of the water. "Dammit Roger!" she laughed.

"Sorry!" he shouted. The front of his shirt was getting soaked as he took the dry towels from the pile on the couch and tossed them on the puddles that were forming all over the ground. 

"I just washed those!" she protested. "Ugh."

Roger finally hit another button and the water stopped flooding the living room. "I guess we better call someone."

Jackie shrugged and stepped onto the towels to get them to soak up the water. "God it's a mess in here and I really need to get these clothes washed. Especially the babies'."

"So we'll take everything to the Laundromat later. It's not a big deal," Mark shrugged.

"Well it's a big deal when you spend an hour doing laundry when you haven't slept in twenty hours," she shot back at him.

"What, are you two gonna argue over a machine? Grow up," he grinned. He walked back over to his apartment and closed the door behind him.

Jackie grabbed the wet clothes and started wringing them out in the sink. Mark followed and sat down in the kitchen chair, watching her.

"So who was on the phone?"

"Harvey." 

"And what?"

"He was just on the phone, okay?" she snapped at him. Just then, Luke started crying. Frustrated, she flung the shirt into the sink and took off down the hall and into his room. Jackie lifted the baby out of his crib and started rocking him as she walked around the room. She sat down in the rocking chair and looked over at Mark.

"You okay?" he asked her. 

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm just really frustrated with everything." She tickled the baby under his chin and got him to smile. Jackie then propped Luke up on her lap and pointed at Mark. "Look! Smile for Daddy!"

Mark crouched in front of the baby and lifted him up. "He's getting big."

"Yeah. Three months the end of this month," she agreed. Yawning, she rested her head against the back of the chair. "He keeps smiling at me like he's crazy."

"Well all things considered," he teased her. "But yeah, he does that for me too."

"Hey!" she laughed. 

"I bet he's trying to gain bonus points for all the time he'll break his curfew. Not to mention the times we'll find him with some girl in his bed."

"Let's talk about that when we get around to it. Ew, I'll be old."

"You? How about me?"

"Yeah you're right." Luke had just about fallen asleep against Mark's shoulder. "Put him back in the crib before he wakes up again."

Mark placed the baby back into the crib and tucked the blanket around him. "You know what I realized?"

"What?" she yawned again.

"It'll be our one year anniversary next week. Anything special you want to do?"

Jackie looked down at her engagement ring and shook her head. "Sleep for a whole day with you," she suggested. "Other than that, no."

"Make another baby?" he winked at her suggestively.

"No babies. Not right now anyway. But we could have some fun?" she laughed. 

"We could. So what are you saying, that you want another baby with me?" he asked her.

"Not that it would be a bad thing. But yeah, I guess we could have another baby. If that's okay with you?" she answered him.

"It's more than okay with me. How soon though?"

"I don't know!" she laughed. "Wow, you're really excited about another one? I just had one, or don't you remember!"

Mark pulled her out of the rocking chair and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Yeah of course I remember. But I don't think another one would be so bad. Maybe in another year or two?"

"How about two years?" she laughed. "Give it some time." Jackie walked into the bedroom and flipped on the light switch. She crawled onto the bed and stretched out on it underneath the comforter. "Come on Marky, the bed's cold."

"How warm do you want me to make it?" he grinned. He slid in next to her and kissed her forehead. 

She yawned. "You can make it as warm as you want, but only if you let me take a shower and fall asleep for the rest of the night."

"Deal," Mark agreed. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "You know I still love you, right?"

"Still?" she giggled. "I hope so. After all, I'm supposed to be marrying you soon."

"Oh yeah. I guess I'm going to have to tell my other girlfriend that it's over."

She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck while he pulled himself on top of her. "Your other girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Jaylynn. I try to tell her, but then she does that cute little thing where she crawls, falls down, and starts smiling at me. Wins me over every time."

"Uh huh." She kissed him as his hand started crawling up her shirt. "I think you're about to win me over right now if you keep that up."

"With pleasure."

*          *          *          *  

"Come on Jay. Just a little bit more. Please?" Roger waved the spoon by her lips. "Look how good that looks."

Mimi walked out of the bathroom, toweling off her hair. "You could at least be a little more enthusiastic about it. She's not gonna eat the cereal if you're sitting there looking like you're about to puke every time she eats some of it."

Roger made a face and grinned. "It smells like shit."

"It's not supposed to smell like flowers. It's baby cereal."

Jaylynn banged her fist on the tray table of the highchair and smiled. She opened her mouth as Roger fed her a small portion of the cereal. 

"I guess she likes it." He shrugged and wiped at her mouth. "I think it's gross and it smells. I'd rather change her diaper any day over feeding her this shit."

Mimi lifted Jaylynn out of the highchair and took off her bib. "We both had to eat that once."

"I'm glad that I don't have to eat that now." 

"Aww poor baby." She kissed Roger on the head, and then gave Jaylynn a kiss on her cheek. "Show Daddy what you can do." 

Mimi set the baby on the floor in a sitting up position, and then smiled when Jaylynn rolled over from it and landed on her stomach. 

Roger laughed and scooped the baby up. "That's great. Before we know it she'll be driving the boys crazy."

"Yeah." She glanced at the baby, who already had a smudge of something on her cheek. "Rog, can you give her a bath for me? I really want to go and lay down. Sorry," she smiled at him.

"Nah, don't sweat it." He walked over and gave her a kiss. "Maybe I can get her to sleep after this and I can lay down with you too," he winked. 

"Only you, Roger Davis," she laughed. 

"Okay Mrs. Davis, I'll be right there."

"Dork," she laughed at him as he attempted to skip to the bathroom with Jaylynn, who was giggling happily over his shoulder. "Hey—um, have you talked to Collins yet?"

"Not really. I was thinking about stopping by later. He's been keeping a low profile lately."

"Yeah," Mimi agreed. Just then, the doorbell rang. "But I don't blame him." She walked over to the door and opened it, surprised to find who was standing there. 

"Marcela."

Mimi crossed her arms over her chest at the sight of her mother. "Anita."

"You could at least seem a little more happy to see me," Anita responded harshly.

"I don't think I have a reason to. Not after the way you treated me."

"Mimi, stop it. I came all this way to see you and the baby."

"Yeah, you came all this way **uninvited. **You told me you never wanted to see me again. Then why are you here?" Mimi protested. 

"I don't understand you. You want me to come, then get angry at me when I do show up!"

"That's not what I'm mad at!" she hissed back at her. "It's the fact that you moved to Argentina without so much as telling me! So Veronica could go to college there instead of here. Jesus, Mama, how am I supposed to react to that?"

Anita shook her head. "I just figured that you had your life here, and I had mine there."

"So what? You don't have a life here anymore? You pick up everything and move to South America and forget about whoever's left back home? Like me?"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about Mimi! Are you actually clean now, or pretending?" Anita questioned her. "And is your boyfriend as well?"

"Goddammit Mama, we both are! I'm sorry that I didn't stay in rehab when you tried to put me in there but it was something that I had to do on my own. And for the last fucking time, he's not my boyfriend, he's my husband! How hard is that to remember? We've been married for almost nine months already!"

"I should never have come here then. I'm not arguing with you. I only came here so I could fly back with Carl when he was finished with his business meetings."

"Then go. What's making you stay?"

"All right. I see how you really feel now. I'll be going then. But just remember Mimi, time is precious. One day you'll regret everything you said to me just now."

"Not as much as I'll regret being excluded from my own family because of some mistakes I made in the past. So go, fly to Italy and play grandma to Carmen's kids. Let Veronica get her college degree. Let Isabel get married to her fiancé and love her kids too. But I'll still be here, and I'll be happy. For as long as I have left, I'll be happy with my **daughter** and my **husband** and my **friends**."

"Goodbye Mimi. Your father would be ashamed to see you right now, I hope you know that."

"No. Papa would be proud of me and what I've become. Not like you. Papa never held grudges. He always loved me for who I am, not what you tried to make me become."

"Lorenzo is dead. He can't be proud of you anymore."

"Goodbye Mama." Mimi closed the door and slumped against it solemnly.

"Babe, who was at the door?" Roger called over.

"No one. It was no one," she replied sadly.

*               *              *            *   

Jackie curled up against Mark's chest and kissed his cheek. "Wake up," she laughed. "Marky's got to go to work today."

Mark rolled over and wrapped his arm around Jackie's waist. "No he doesn't."

"Yeah, he really doesn't. I just wanted you to get up," she giggled.

He opened up one eye and glanced at her. "That's not nice."

"Who said I was nice?" She reached over the edge of the bed and felt around for her tank top. She pulled it on and pressed herself against him. 

"Are you really that cold?" he mumbled against her shoulder. 

"Yeah, sort of. I think we were too occupied last night to get up and remember to adjust the heat."

"Did you have a good time last night?"

"Uh huh. As much of a good time I could possibly have home with you," she smiled.

"Was I a good birthday present?"

"Yes you were. Happy 23rd birthday to me."

"That's what I thought. What are you doing today?" He yawned and sat up.

"Nothing until 4. Then I have a two hour rehearsal—"

Roger walked in with Mimi in his arms and dropped her on Mark and Jackie's bed. "Morning!" he said cheerfully.

"I don't have any clothes on," Mark stated. Mimi grinned and attempted to pull the sheet off of Mark. "Hey! Cut that out!"

Jackie laughed and rested her head on Mark's chest. "I'll protect you."

Roger grinned. "Marky got some last night. What are you trying to catch up in rank with me?"

"I don't know. I guess?" He grabbed his boxers from the nightstand and started tugging them on.

"We're trying to make more babies," Jackie added.

"Seriously?" Roger asked. He stretched out next to her and winked. "I hope you have clothes on."

Mimi slapped him on the arm and jumped on top of him. "Bastard."

"Hey I was just kidding! I'll go take your clothes off right now if you'd like."

"Did you guys just come in here to have sex with each other?" Mark asked. "Your bed's not good enough anymore?"

"Anyway," Roger grinned. "Are you two seriously making more kids?"

"Nah. Not right now anyway. Maybe in a few years. Once we're married and everything," Jackie yawned.

"So that's more kids I have to buy Christmas and Hanukah presents for? I'm gonna be broke by the time I'm thirty."

"Which is only three years from now," Mimi added. "Hey Jackie, doesn't it feel good to still be young?"

"Watch it, you. Let's get 'em, Mark." Roger started tickling Mimi as Mark did the same for Jackie.

"Hey! No fair!" Mimi whined, laughing.

*          *         *          *

Review!!


	54. 54

CHAPTER 54

Just a little bit of a refresher:

**Natalie Murphy** was Jackie's best friend. She was engaged to **Harvey** (**April's brother) **who is now married to **Maureen**. (They eloped in Chapter 52). **Natalie** was killed in a car accident in the very early chapters of this story. Right now, it's been a little over a year since her death, and about a year and a month since Mark & Jackie first met/started dating.

Those of you that asked, there will be some kind of resolution between Mimi and her mother, but that won't come for at least a few other chapters.

**Annala** asked, "…whatever happened to Joanne?". Basically, Joanne is in Boston pursuing her law career. She and Maureen broke things off early in this story, leading to Maureen's temporary move to Los Angeles to be closer to her fiancé at the time, **Chad**. Chad was part of the reason why Maureen & Joanne broke things off, because at a benefit that they both attended, Joanne caught Maureen "flirting" with him and said enough is enough. From there, Maureen and Chad started a relationship, which led to a quick engagement. Things didn't work out with Chad, and after a short engagement, she was back in the East Village permanently (and single again) by July. From there Jackie introduced her to April's older brother **Harvey** and they started dating. They eloped after about eight months of being together and are now married (at least in Las Vegas). 

Also, as of right now we're more than halfway done with this story. I can't really give you a good estimate as of when this will all be completed, but hang in there with me.

Thanks once again to all of my reviewers. I've talked to a few of you online and you guys are wonderful. Thanks so much for that.

Now enjoy this chapter!

*            *           *          *  

MARCH 1998 

"They're gonna lose."

Collins glanced at the screen and shook his head. "Nah. They'll make another touchdown this quarter." He bounced Jaylynn on his knee and took a sip of his beer.

Roger shrugged. "We'll see."

Jaylynn crawled off of Collins knee and pulled herself up on Roger. "Ba."

"Bottle," Roger pronounced. "Budweiser."

Collins smirked and shook his head. "Can't wait to see what this kid's alphabet's gonna be."

Jaylynn grasped the beer bottle and looked up at Roger. "Da."

"Yeah Jay. Dad. Daddy." Roger placed his beer on the table and picked her up. "Daddy."

"So how are you holding up with everything?" Collins questioned him.

"What do you mean?"

Collins leaned back against the couch. "Parenting. The band. Mimi's mother. Just to name a few."

Roger sighed and let Jaylynn play with his earrings. "Parenting's great. She's at least starting to sleep through the night some days. Sort of talking."

"Yeah. Beer," Collins laughed.

Roger laughed and shrugged. "The band's a tough decision. The CD didn't do as great as we thought it would, but it didn't do bad. We have a hell of a lot more gigs, but the whole tour thing is at least out of the question for most of us. Plus with Jaylynn I don't want to leave. Wes doesn't want to leave his kid and wife either. We might get into the studio again this summer and record something new and see where that goes."

"Yeah. What about Mimi?"

"Mimi's good. She went to her doctor today so I'm just waiting for her to get back. She said she's been feeling fine so I guess that's a good thing. But the thing with her mom is really stressing her out. She doesn't understand why her mom's being so difficult. I know she's upset about it, but she won't come out and say it."

Collins leaned his head against the couch. "That's Mimi. She won't say anything but you know she's upset."

"Yeah. She told me like two weeks later that her mom showed up here and they got into a fight."

"Where you home?"

"Yeah. I was giving Jaylynn a bath."

"Wow. She didn't say anything to you?"

"Nope. She's talked to my mom about it. Went out to lunch with her a few times. I think she kind of needs someone to take over that mom role I guess."

Collins nodded. "Yeah."

Roger was silent for a minute before continuing. "Hey I really wanted to apologize for what happened at Dan's funeral. I didn't mean to blow up at everyone like that. I don't know—I guess everything just really got to me that day."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Collins picked up his beer and took another sip. "I figured something was bothering you."

"Yeah."

"Ba!" Jaylynn was clapping her hands together and waving at Collins. 

Collins laughed. "We really have to work on her alphabet."

*            *             *           *

Mark slipped of his coat and started loosening his tie the moment he walked into his apartment. He dropped a folder onto the coffee table, not even bothering to worry about whether or not papers had fallen out of it. He was just so damn tired that all he wanted to do for the next ten hours was sleep without being woken up. 

As he made his way down the hall, he peeked into Luke's room only to find the baby sound asleep in his crib. He couldn't help but think that it was about damn time he had fallen asleep. Luke had been extremely fussy last night and didn't want to be put down for anything, causing Mark to stay up most of the early morning rocking him back and forth to give Jackie a break. 

"Jac? Where you at?" he yawned.

"Here." 

He followed her voice into their bedroom. Jackie was hanging up some of their clothes in the closet and kicking the dirty clothes to the side. "How was he today?"

"Better. I think he wore himself out last night."

"Yeah." Mark sat down on the edge of the bed. "You kind of remind me of my mom. She does that a lot. The whole cleaning thing."

"Well I figured that if I'm sleeping with you I might as well do your laundry and take care of your son," she laughed at him. "Because your laundry and Roger's laundry would just sit in a dusty corner until both of you realized that your only other option would be to start your own nudist colony. Camera and all."

"Ha ha." He tossed a rolled up sock at her head. 

"Jerk." Jackie rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. "How was work?"

"Work was work. Same as always."

"Yeah." She flopped down on the bed and yawned. "Are you as tired as I am?"

"That would be a hell yes."

"Did you eat anything?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I had something at work."

"Want anything else?" 

"Just a great nap with my beautiful fiancée," he added. 

"Are you just overtired or trying to be flattering?"

"Both." He shut his eyes and then reopened them. "My mom called."

"What did she want?"

He stretched his arms over his head and flipped over onto his side. "She wants us to come up to Scarsdale this weekend, but I told her that I'd have to check your rehearsal schedule. Plus she wanted to know about the tickets to opening night of the ballet."

"I have back to back rehearsals this weekend, but I'll call her tomorrow and let her know that I reserved two tickets front row for her and your father."

"Plus me right?"

"Of course. Plus you, Mimi, Roger, Maureen, and Collins. All front row. Right next to each other," she smiled.

"Two weekends left until opening. Nervous?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I think I get less nervous with each ballet I do."

"Yeah."

Jackie crawled off the bed and exited the bedroom, heading towards the closet in the living room.

"So much for my nap!" he called after her. Groaning, he stood up and followed her down the hall. "What are you doing?"

Jackie had opened the closet door and was now digging through it, pulling out boxes left and right. Many of them were hers, left untouched from when she had moved out of her apartment and into the loft, but a few of them were also Mark's. "I can't find them. Shit." She started opening the boxes and pulling things out of them. 

Mark was amazed at how fast newspaper and Styrofoam peanuts piled up in the small corner of the living room. "What can't you find?"

"I just can't find them! I don't know where I put them!" She dug around some more and pushed more boxes out of the way. 

"Maybe I can help you?" he suggested.

"No, you can't. I can't find them."

"Can't find what?"

_"You're gonna get better, and you're gonna dance in front of thousands of people."_

Jackie kept digging through her boxes and tossing things to the side as her breath caught in her throat. She didn't want to relive this again. Not right here.

"You keep my pointe shoes. I know they're your size. When they wear out, you keep them. This way I'll know I'll always be dancing in your heart."

She couldn't find them. She couldn't find the shoes. Natalie's shoes. Where were they? She didn't even **know** what had made her think of the shoes at that moment, but she had to find them. She had to. 

"You have Mark. I know a keeper when I see one. Hang onto him. He's falling in love with you."

Jackie leaned back against the wall and pressed her hand to her mouth. She couldn't think straight. Natalie's death hadn't hit her this hard since that night at the hospital when she had said goodbye to her. Now everything was running through her head too fast for her to comprehend, and she couldn't handle it. 

"Harvey. You take care of Harvey for me. I love you both so much." 

_"Don't go, I need you here with me."_

_"I'll always be with you. Forever."_

She slumped against the wall and started sobbing into her knees. 

Any sense of exhaustion that Mark had felt had been wiped away in the second it took him to comprehend that Jackie had completely broken down in front of him. He didn't know exactly why at this moment, but he had a feeling it had to do with Natalie. He dashed across the room and knelt in front of her, automatically pulling her into him. 

"It's okay." He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay Jac."

"She didn't do anything wrong," she sobbed. "Nothing. She didn't do anything wrong."

"Okay. I know she didn't."

"But she didn't! Harvey and Maureen got married and she didn't do anything wrong!" Jackie pulled away from Mark and slumped against the wall again.

"What? Maureen and Harvey are married? Since when?"

"Since two weeks ago. They went to Las Vegas."

"What the hell for?"  
  


"I told you! To get married. They wanted to elope."

"Was that Maureen's idea?"

"Christ Mark I don't know. It was both of theirs."

Mark started picking up the newspaper and tossing it in a pile. "So they just pick up and get married?"

"Yeah I guess so. What? Do you have a problem with it?"

"No." He honestly didn't have a problem with it. He was happy with Jackie and their son. He didn't feel anything for Maureen anymore. "I'm just surprised."

"Yeah well so was I."

Mark sat down against the wall next to her. "So what are you thinking about Harvey and Maureen?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm feeling a little betrayed by it. Not intentionally or anything, but I mean, Harvey was supposed to marry Natalie. They were together for almost four years before he even proposed to her. We were still going to college." She wiped at her eyes.

"Yeah I know what you mean."

"But then Natalie died in that freak accident. I just saw her the same day. But an hour later she was in the hospital and by the morning she was dead. Then Harvey takes off for Los Angeles, comes back, meets Maureen, and eight months later they're not just engaged but married. I don't know how I'm supposed to take that."

Mark just nodded and stroked her hair as she continued talking and crying on the floor.

"He's my best friend and I love him to death. It's not like I love Maureen any less either. It's just hard for me to see the two of them together since Natalie is gone. I just never expected him to want to date someone else this soon, let alone marry them."

"Well if you look at it, no one's relationships are really that normal. Look at Roger and Mimi. They're together for a year, then she gets pregnant and they end up married five months later. Then you and me. We start dating. Three months after that you're pregnant and we're engaged. Look at my sister. Noah's one and she's still with Matt. No one's perfect around here, but that doesn't mean we're not happy. You get what I'm saying?"

She swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. It's just hard for me to get used to them together."

"I know."

Jackie dropped her head in her hands. "There's gotta be something wrong with my head. I can't go a day without something bothering me or getting depressed. Sleep would be really great."

"Did you talk to your doctor about it?"

"I go to see her next week."

"Then maybe you should talk to her about it? Collins could probably get you into Life Support one night with him, just to talk. Or we could find you a really great therapist. You could talk to Roger. A lot of people bond with bartenders," Mark joked.

"Yeah." She looked around at the boxes. "I really need to clean all of this up."

Mark helped her stand up. "I'll do it. You go take a nap and I'll feed him when he gets up."

"Thanks sweetie." She kissed him and rested her head against his shoulder. "I feel really bad about everything. I know you're tired."

"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you."

"He's not up right now. Come lay down with me."

Mark agreed and followed her into the bedroom, glancing into Luke's room as he passed down the hall.

*           *            *             *

Jackie woke up much later that night. Glancing out the window, she realized that it was already dark out and had no recollection of the time. Mark wasn't lying next to her, and all she heard in the apartment was the sound of the TV in the other room.

She walked down the hall and found Harvey lying on the floor with Luke. The baby was playing contentedly and smiled when he saw Jackie come into the room.

"When'd you get here?" she yawned, taking a seat on the floor next to them.

"A few hours ago. Mark had to run up to his mom's so he called me and I came over to watch the little guy."

"Were you good for Uncle Harvey?" she cooed at Luke, tickling his belly.

"Yeah he was good. We watched the swimsuit competition on ESPN together."

Jackie rolled her eyes and laughed. "He's four months old!"

"Yeah so?" Harvey placed the pacifier in the baby's mouth. "I'm starting him early."

"How's the wife?" she teased him.

"Maureen's fine. She's at the theater tonight rehearsing."

"Yeah."

Harvey reached over next to the couch and handed Jackie a box. "Here."

She opened the lid and parted the tissue paper to reveal a pair of pink toe shoes, slightly broken in and worn at the very top. Natalie's. "Oh."

"Mark told me you were looking for them earlier." His eyes dropped down to the box. "They were at my place."

"You mean he told you about my freak out session."

Harvey shrugged. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I've had my fair share. Look under the paper."

Jackie pulled out the tissue paper and found a framed picture. It had been taken two summers ago in Australia. Harvey was standing near a propped up surfboard and was flexing his muscles with a goofy smile on his face, while Jackie and Natalie were standing on either side of him smiling. 

"Oh wow. This was such a long time ago." She felt her eyes start to water and wiped at them quickly. "Thank you."

He nodded. "I just wanted to let you know that just because I love Maureen now doesn't mean I love Natalie any less. My feelings for her will never completely go away." He glanced at the picture. "You never stop loving someone, you know that right?"

"Yeah I know."

"It's just that I think it's time for me to start moving on. Maureen makes me really happy. She's got this great personality that just lights up a whole room and just puts a smile on your face. She's helped me through a lot of everything I was feeling with Natalie's death. She really likes you a lot Jac. She told me the other night that she was worried that you'd think she was trying to replace Natalie."

"I know she's not."

"That's what I told her. But she still was worried about it. You guys seemed to have hit it off before we got married."

"We did. She's been a great friend to me. It's just sort of hard to see her with you and not think you still belong to Natalie."

"It's sort of what I went through after April died. My parents didn't know what to do and were so protective of me. Here I was, living out my career and my mom would keep showing up at my apartment just to make sure I was okay and was happy. I think they were really worried about me for awhile there."

"That you'd end up like April?"

He nodded again. "Yeah. I think they expected to wake up one morning and realize that I was gone too. It got better. I stopped being mad at April and the whole situation. I knew she had problems but I was still angry. But now I let go of it and I'm at peace with it. When I think about her I don't see the bad, I see the good. She'll still always be my little sister. That's what you have to remember with Natalie. Just because she's gone, a part of you will always recognize her as your best friend. You can't replace that."

Jackie wiped at her eyes again. She picked up the baby and rubbed his back. "I think it's been one hell of day. Your mom was crazy today wasn't she?"

"Not crazy. Insane."

Jackie laughed at him and walked into the kitchen. "Food's in the fridge. Help yourself."

Harvey pulled open the refrigerator door. "Oh shit, you've got shrimp!"

*            *            *              *

Review!!


	55. 55

CHAPTER 55

A/N: Just wanted to let you all know that we're going to start skipping greater periods of time beginning with this chapter. I'll remind you in the author's note of my upcoming chapters of what time period we're in, and if you guys have any questions you can always email me. 

It's been seven months since I first started this story, and it's really hard for me to believe that this has become what it has. This is probably one of the first novel length stories that I'll have finished, and I want to take the time to thank you all again for the great reviews I've been receiving. Without you, I doubt very much that I would have made it this far.

We are coming to a conclusion, for those of you that have asked. The past events will be wrapped up shortly (but not too shortly), and we'll jump back to where Chapter 3 left off with 19 year old Jaylynn. 

Stick it out with me, because I do think you'll all be pleased with the ending of this story (at least I hope you will). 

*Love,

 Mari

*             *             *               *

SEPTEMBER 1998 

"Quit moving!" 

Mimi laughed as Roger ducked and tried to run around her in a circle. "Cut that out! Roger!"

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "You look good baby."

"Can you stop moving so I can finish with your tie?" she grinned up at him. "There." She smoothed the top of his suit and pulled away from him.

"Thanks." He glanced over at her as she finished applying her makeup. "You look **really** good in that."

"Well let's just hope you behave yourself in the theater then," she winked as she finished with her eye shadow. "Okay. I think I'm done." She spun around for him and struck a model pose. Mimi had her hair twisted back in a side-parted updo, which left a few of her dark brown curls framing her face. The strapless black dress she was wearing hugged her curves and fell to just below her calves.

"Okay either we get out of this bedroom right now or I throw you on that bed and have my way with you," he said seriously.

"Alright smoky," she joked. "Let's go."

Mark glanced over at her once they walked into the living room. "What?"

Mimi shook her head and smiled. "Nothing. Roger can't wait to have hot sex with me when we get back from Mo's show. He can't seem to calm the little guy down either." She pointed indirectly at Roger's crotch.

Mark burst out laughing and picked Luke up. "Wow, maybe you guys should take care of that **before** the show, because with my luck I'll have to sit next to him in the theater."

Luke gripped his hand onto Mark's tie. "Dada!"

Jackie walked into the room and smiled at the baby while fixing her earrings. She took Luke from Mark and kissed his temple. "We better get you down to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Matt's, huh?" she cooed at him.

"I don't get why you do that," Roger interrupted her. "They can't really talk back."

She sat down next to him on the couch. "Well they can understand you." Jackie kissed Roger on the cheek. "What's wrong, Rog? We're not giving you enough attention today?" she laughed.

Mark grinned at them and straightened his tie in the mirror. After Jackie's breakdown in late winter, he had convinced her to attend a few Life Support meetings with Collins. Paul, the designated leader of the support group, had recommended a therapist he knew of to Jackie. She has been seeing her twice a week—Mondays by herself and Thursdays with Mark. Mark had seen a definite increase in her mood since then. She always seemed to be smiling and laughing at something now, and they had both stopped fighting almost altogether, except for the occasional rift here and there. Her good days were starting to outweigh her bad days, and Mark didn't want to trade that for anything. Although the therapist had put her on anti depressants, Mark knew that Jackie was happy because **she** wanted to be, not because some medication was making her that way.

"Want me to take him downstairs?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Sure. Go ahead. I'll meet you in the cab with everyone else." She kissed the baby goodbye. "Bye sweetie. I'll see you later."

*          *            *             *

"Hey!" Jackie kissed Harvey on the cheek and gave him a tight hug. "She was great!"

The show had just ended about twenty minutes before, and Jackie had split up from Mark, Roger, Mimi, and Collins in hopes of catching Harvey near the stage door. 

"Hey. Yeah, she was wasn't she?" he grinned.

"Do you know when she's coming out?"

He nodded. "Yeah I was just backstage with her and she told me just to meet her out here." Harvey lit a cigarette and took a drag from it before passing it to Jackie.

She opened her playbill and scanned the cast bios. "Did you read Maureen's before the show?"

"Only about twelve times," Harvey grinned. "Since her birthday's next weekend I'm going to put together a collage for her and have the playbill page framed. Sort of an early official wedding gift."

**MAUREEN JOHNSON **(_Roxie Hart_)

Is making her Broadway debut in _Chicago_. Born in Hicksville, Johnson and family relocated to Chicago. Upon her graduation, Maureen received her B.A. in international relations from New York University. Johnson sends lots of love to her niece Jaylynn and nephew Luke, as well as her fellow "Bohemians", friends and family. Thank you to everyone for supporting me in the long run. To my husband Harvey, thank you for your unconditional love. Without your faith in me, I wouldn't have made it this far.

"I still don't think it's fair that you're getting hitched before me," Jackie pretended to pout. 

"June's not that far away. Plus you have all that extra time to do all the girly planning shit."

"Girly planning shit? I hope you know you're wife did a ton of that for your wedding next month," she laughed.

"Well I don't call it that to her face."

Maureen had just walked out of the lobby and come up behind them. "Don't call me what to my face?"

Harvey took another drag from the cigarette and laughed. "Nothing baby."

Maureen shrugged and leaned against him. "I'm tired. Are we getting out of here yet or what?"

"I'll see you tomorrow Jac."

"Bye guys." Jackie turned around just as Mark, Roger, and Mimi walked out of the theater lobby and onto the sidewalk. "Hey."

"Hey." Mark kissed her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "You guys want to all get a cab together or what?"

"Yeah sure," Roger answered. He was rubbing Mimi's back in slow circles.

_"Mr. Davis!"_

Roger turned around on the sidewalk, his arm still firmly wrapped around Mimi's waist. A few reporters and photographers that had gathered to interview the new cast of the musical had approached him before he even had a chance to get into the cab with Mark and Jackie.

Mimi pressed herself against him as the questions began and the flashbulbs went off.

"Is this your wife?"

Roger looked helplessly to Mark and Jackie who were in the process of convincing the cab driver to wait. Mark climbed out and stood by Roger's side. "Yes, she is," he answered.

"How long have you been married?"

"It was a year for us in May." He looked over at her and gripped her hand tightly in his own.

"Just smile and nod. Don't let them know you're nervous," Mark whispered nonchalantly. 

"Then you do it," Roger hissed back under his breath.

"How old is your daughter?"

"She'll be a year old on Saturday." He sighed and rubbed Mimi's back. He really didn't want to do this right now. He didn't have a clue why these people were wasting their time interviewing him. His band hadn't even gone out on tour yet.

"Mr. Davis, when are you going on tour?"

Roger froze at the question. "We haven't discussed that yet. Probably when we finish up our second CD in the studio. We're all really involved in our personal lives right now, including our families."

A red headed woman approached him. "Is it true that you were a heroin addict?"

"How long were you in rehab?"

"Have you cheated on your wife?" 

"Was the only reason you married your wife was because she was pregnant?"

"Are you on anti depressants?"

Roger ignored them and helped Mimi into the cab before sitting down next to her and slamming the door. 

Jackie looked over at Roger. "You guys take this one back to the loft. Me and Mark will get the next one."

"Thanks."

Jackie stepped out of the cab and walked over to Mark.

"Mr. Cohen, you new documentary premiered at the Cannes film festival in May. Can we expect you back there again next year?"

"Uh yeah. Sure." Mark grabbed Jackie's hand and pulled her towards the box office. "No more questions." They walked into the lobby and laughed.

"God, they're like vultures," Jackie laughed. "Uh, Mr. Cohen, is that really your girlfriend?"

Mark laughed and pulled her close as they walked back outside to hail a cab. "I wonder when we became so famous. I'm just Mark!"

"Yeah I know. I'm really surprised they just came up to Roger like that. Poor Mimi, they were really pounding on her relationship with him."

"That caught me off guard too. I know they got an interview from Mo because I saw her and Harvey talking with them before, but Roger? I guess they're all big fans of the Hungarians. I don't know."

The cab pulled up and they sat down inside. "Well all I know is that I'm tired and I could use a really good massage right about now," Jackie groaned.

"Too bad. I'm just tired," he grinned. Jackie playfully poked him in his ribs. "Hey!"

*                    *                    *                       *

Roger walked into Jaylynn's room around eight on Saturday morning. The baby was standing up in her crib and occupying herself with trying to grab at the animals attached to the mobile strings. He grinned and kissed her cheek. She let out a laugh and clapped her hands together when he picked her up.

"Happy birthday Jay." He kissed her one more time before setting her steadily down on the floor. She toddled in front of him a few steps and started to run into the living room before losing her balance and falling on her behind. He laughed at the look on her face and scooped her up, carrying her into his and Mimi's bedroom.

He put a finger to his lips and Jaylynn imitated him as they both sat on the bed watching Mimi sleep. Roger smiled to himself. He was sitting on their bed, in their home, with their year old daughter watching his wife sleep. One year ago today, at 3:03 AM, Jaylynn Angela had been born, healthy and HIV negative. Roger couldn't be more thankful for that. It honestly seemed like just yesterday that she had first sat up and now she was walking—sometimes unsteadily—on her own. Everything about her was a mix between him and Mimi. Her dark blonde hair that was slowly starting to grow out in waves. Her brown eyes that matched Mimi's. Even down to the way she smiled and how she was beginning to mimic both of them more every day. 

Roger knew that he couldn't guarantee Jaylynn ten years for him to watch her grow up. He couldn't put a countdown on his life. He and Mimi were healthy now, and he knew that until the end they'd both be capable of caring for her. That past year had gone by too quickly. He and Mimi both were starting to feel like old pros at parenting, while Jackie and Mark were still struggling with their son from time to time. 

Without realizing it, Jaylynn had crawling to Mimi and was leaned over her, patting the side of her face and playing with her loose curls.  

Mimi yawned and smiled up at her. "Hey baby. Happy birthday." She sat up and shook her head at Roger.

"What?" he grinned.

"You both are plotting against me already huh?" she laughed.

"Baby, I would never do that." He leaned over and kissed her. 

"Sure." She handed Jaylynn to Roger and quickly slipped into her robe. "God it's cold in here."

"Yeah. Mark said it's at least fifty degrees out this morning."

"What's the temperature supposed to get up to today?"

"I think eighty." She followed Roger out into the living room and crouched onto the floor next to Jaylynn when he set her down. "I've gotten way too used to the summer heat. What about you cutie?" she smiled, kissing the baby's forehead.

Jaylynn just babbled in baby talk and reached out her fist, dropping a block in Mimi's lap.

"So what did you want to do today?" Mimi handed the baby the block again.

"Whatever you want to."

"I think everyone's coming by tonight to see Jay," Mimi added.

"Yeah that's what Collins told me anyway. Apples or peaches?" Roger asked her. He held up the two containers of baby food.

"Peaches. Plus take out the cheerios."

"Got it."

*                      *                          *                      *

Mark knocked on the bathroom door with a beer in his hand. "Jac? Are you ever coming out of the shower or what?"

He heard the shower water turn off. "Yeah. I'll be there in a few minutes," she answered him.

"Everybody's been here for about twenty minutes already. Come on, your missing Jaylynn's party," he grinned.

"I'll be out there."

"Okay." Mark walked over to the other side of the apartment and leaned against the counter. Roger was already mixing the second round of margaritas. Maureen and Mimi were both dancing with Jaylynn, each with a drink in their hands. Every time either one of them picked her up, she kept trying to grab a little of the rock salt that was on the edge of the glasses and lick the edge.

Mark noticed this and laughed. "Your kid's trying to get in on the alcohol."

"What?" Roger looked over at Mimi, who was letting Jaylynn try a little bit of the salt. "Hey don't let her have any of that!"

"Shut up," Mimi laughed at him. "Calm down." She placed her margarita out of Jaylynn's reach and sat down on the floor with the baby. 

Roger rolled his eyes and Mark playfully shoved him in his ribs. "That's what married life does to you huh?"

"Eat me Mark. You're gonna be married in June anyway so you shouldn't be one to talk," he reminded him.

"Oh just because you have over a year of marriage up your sleeve you think you know everything?"

Roger shrugged. "Didn't say that. But face it, me and Mimi will have celebrated our two year anniversary by the time you finally get hitched to Jackie."

"You're also turning thirty before me," Mark reminded him casually.

"Fuck you," Roger grinned. "Take your margarita and get out of my face."

"Gentleman, are we arguing in here?" Maureen laughed. Harvey was carrying her on his back for some odd reason, although they both seemed to be having a good time with it. Jaylynn stood up and toddled over to the counter, clapping her hands together.

"Da! Up!" she shouted, motioning for Roger to pick her up.

Roger picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Look at Uncle Harvey and Aunt Maureen being silly. Huh?"

Jaylynn reached out her arms to Maureen. "Mo! Mo!"

Harvey placed Maureen on the ground and she took the baby from Roger. "Happy birthday sweetie!" 

Jackie walked into the apartment in gray sweatpants and a black tanktop. Her light blonde hair was wrapped up into a towel, and she looked a little pale. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Mimi greeted her. "You don't look so good. Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired," she said, right in the middle of a huge yawn.

Maureen sat down on the couch with Jaylynn and shook her head. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh," Jaylynn imitated.

"Uh oh what?" Jackie asked her. She looked at Roger and he started laughing. 

"Not saying a word."

Collins walked in the door just then and whistled. "What did I miss?"

Jaylynn squirmed out of Maureen's arms and toddled over to Collins. "Up!"

"All right cutie," he smiled at her. "Give Uncle Collins some birthday girl kisses."

"What?" Jackie shouted out, frustrated. 

"Hey I'm not one to light a fire under anyone's ass," Roger added, "But are you on birth control?"

"I'm just tired."

"First sign of pregnancy."

Mark sighed and flipped them all off. "Come on guys, leave her alone," he laughed. "Yeah but really he's got a point there. Remember how tired you were the first time?"

"So?"

"So honey do you think you might be pregnant?" Maureen asked.

"I'm not talking about this right now."

Harvey started laughing. "Oh she so is!" He stopped when Jackie shot him a glare. "I mean, she so isn't. Sorry. I stuttered."

"God just lay off." Jackie picked up the margarita from the counter and took a sip out of it. She sat down on the barstool and Mark followed.

"Okay I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

"But really, you're not yourself lately. You seem really tired. And I guess everyone's just really excited for you—for us to potentially have another baby."

"I'm not though."

"Not pregnant?" Mark asked her.

She shook her head. "Nope. I got my period yesterday."

Mark nodded. "So that's why you're tired?"

"That'll do you in Mark," she laughed. 

"Who's on their period?" Mimi asked out loud.

Roger raised his hand and started grinding against her. "I am baby!" he laughed.

She shoved him off and covered Jaylynn's eyes. "Daddy was not just humping Mommy."

Maureen covered her mouth and snorted. "Oh my god," she laughed. "Sickos. I am friends with a bunch of sex crazed porn star wannabes."

"That's a little drastic," Collins added. "Don't you think?"

Harvey shrugged. "Sex is a complicated thing."

Roger and Mark glanced at him and started laughing uncontrollably. "Hey man, whatever you say. I bet Maureen makes it uncomplicated. Kinky, you know," Roger teased her.

Maureen got up and elbowed him in his ribs. "Shove it, Davis."

"Anytime. As long as there's some cushion for the pushin'."

Mimi rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. "Okay boys. Enough with the locker room talk. In case you haven't realized, there are some ladies in here. Two of which are unfortunately married to two of you at the moment."

"Plus, it's baby Jay's birthday. Let's save all of this talk for her eighteenth birthday, eh?" Collins joked. 

Everyone grew silent after that last comment—Roger in particular. Everyone in that room was aware that there was almost a full chance that three of the six people now in that room wouldn't reach her tenth birthday, let alone her eighteenth. 

"Yeah." Roger cleared his throat and placed the empty margarita glasses into the sink. "Who wants to get the cake from downstairs?"

"Ooh!" Maureen hopped off of Harvey's lap. "I'll get it. Your freezer, right Collins?"

"Right. I'll go with you."

Mimi walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Roger's stomach. "Hey baby."

"Hey." He turned around and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She looked at him curiously and smiled. "What was that for?"

"Just to say I do. Plus, I wanted to apologize for what those stupid fucking reporters said yesterday."

"Aw baby don't worry about it. I understand completely."

"Okay. Just making sure."

She kissed him again. "Good."

*                       *                        *                             *

Review!!


	56. 56

CHAPTER 56

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter! Like I said before, it's good to be back. You guys are too good to me, but keep it up. :o) 

Just a small little note about their ages right now: Mimi already turned 22 back in June, and Roger turned 28 a few weeks before this chapter opens. Jaylynn is now 13 months, and Luke is 11 months.  

*                     *                   *                 *

LATE OCTOBER 1998 

"Agh!"

Jackie practically skidded into the bathroom in her crimson stiletto heels. "What happened?"

"I keep accidentally burning the side of my forehead with the straightening iron. Dammit!" Mimi shouted out. She rubbed some water onto her head from the sink where it was slightly red. "I can't get the section on the side."

"Here. Let me try it again."

"How much time do we have left?"

"Ten minutes before the limo comes to get us." Jackie picked up the iron again and ran it through the pin straight sections of Mimi's hair. It had taken them both over an hour to straighten all of the curls, along with twisting it half up and half down. 

"Who else is going to be in the limo with us?"

Jackie unplugged the straightening iron and sprayed the front section of Mimi's hair with hairspray. "You, me, Maureen's sister Monica, and Maureen's friend Kelly."

Mimi adjusted the straps on the burgundy bridesmaid gown and sighed. "Okay. So Roger and Mark have the kids?"

"No. Roger's mom took them both last minute. Roger had to drive them up there."

"Right. Okay I forgot."

Jackie grabbed Mimi's shoulders. "Mimi. Breathe."

"But I'm the maid of honor! I'm supposed to be freaking out right about now!"

"Freak out at the church." Jackie handed her the purse. 

"What about the flowers?" 

"They're in the refrigerator. At the church. We've talked about this."

"Sorry." Mimi peeked out the window. The sky was blue, and it had reached about sixty-five degrees that Sunday morning. Perfect weather for a wedding, but also unusually warm for late October. She glanced down at the curb, just as the black stretch limo pulled up. "Holy shit! It's here!"

Jackie linked her arm through Mimi's and locked the door behind them. "Ready? You have everything?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Let's go."

*                        *                    *                    *

"Never ever ever again will I do the conga line at a wedding. Ever," Mark slurred.

Jackie turned the lights on in the apartment and groaned. "Wow, that's a little bright."

"You think?" Roger walked in, his arm wrapped lazily around Mimi's shoulders. "Just a little bit bright? And what the hell time is it?"

Mimi, apparently the only sober one in the group of them, squinted at the numbers on the microwave. "4 AM."

Mark sat down on the couch and pulled off his suit jacket and tie. "As in dawn?"

"Yeah. Like the birds chirping in your window dawn," Roger added. He had kicked off his shoes and was resting his head on the coffee table. 

"In case you haven't noticed before tonight, this is New York City. Instead of birds, we have garbage trucks. Very loud garbage trucks," Mark grinned sarcastically. 

"And you can't start a morning without all the cars honking at each other." Jackie sat down on Mark's lap and curled up against him. 

Roger yawned. "Did our wedding reception last this long?"

Mimi shook her head. "Nope. We were done by midnight."

"Well you weren't done," Mark laughed. "But the wedding was done."

Roger flipped him off and ignored the comment. "This was Maureen and Harvey's wedding. What the hell do you expect?"

"Definitely not Jac and the groom tearing ass up on the dance floor," Mimi snorted. 

"Yeah really. We know you're both dancers but stop trying to rub in it!" Roger laughed. 

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You and Mark seemed to be having a pretty good time in the conga line with your straw hats and fake plastic leis," she pointed out. 

Mark shook his head. "Never again."

"Mark you know you liked it," Roger said.

"No. Definitely not."

"I think I'm going to bed. Coming?" Mimi stood up and shook Roger's shoulder. 

"Yep. I'll be there in a second. I just have to take a really bad piss."

Jackie shoved him as she hopped off of Mark's lap. "Gross. Typical male."

"Actually, come to think of it, so do I," Mark laughed. "That's what drinking does to you."

"Oh because you drink so much," Jackie shot back. She carried her shoes into their bedroom and quickly changed into a tee shirt and pajama pants. Picking up the bridesmaid dress off the ground, she hung it up in the closet and shut the door. She picked up her cell phone off of the nightstand and noticed she had two new voicemails. One was from her mother, and the other was from Shawn. Both from Sydney.

Shawn had called her two weeks ago, letting her know that the Sydney ballet was holding open auditions for the summer season, which ran from early December through mid March. Auditions were being held the first weekend in November. Later that week, Jackie had booked two round trip tickets, one for herself, and one for Harvey. She had already talked to him about everything the day Shawn had called, and he had been interested in trying out, although somewhat reluctant to give up his position as a principle in the city ballet. Now the only thing left to do was tell Mark that there was a good possibility that she would be in Australia for the next four months—either with him or without him.

Mark walked into the bedroom. He quickly changed and joined her on the bed. "I'm calling out of work tomorrow."

"Yeah you should. Everyone's out of the office anyway," she replied as he kissed her forehead.

"So what are we doing next weekend?" he asked her as he stretched out on his back. Jackie sat up and ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "We could just go out to dinner or something."

"Mark—we can't."

He shrugged and grinned. "Or we could just hang out here and have my mom watch Luke for the weekend."

"Mark I have to go to Sydney next week," she blurted out quickly. 

He sat up. "What? Why?"

"I'm going to audition for the winter season of the ballet down there. It's fall there right now. They're holding auditions two weekends from now," Jackie told him. "Harvey's going with me."

"So the ballet here isn't good enough for you?"

"Mark. Of course it is."  She rested her chin on her knees and looked at him. "I just, I haven't been home in a long time. Shawn thinks I should go for it, and so does my family. I'd be gone for-- four months if I get the audition."

Mark got out of the bed and started walking around the room. "Four months? What, are you serious? Did the fact that not only do I have a job, but we have a son together—who's only a year old—slip your mind? So what, you're going to leave us here while you go and live out your fucking dream like you're not attached to us?" 

Jackie watched him pace and then stop near the door. She knew he had a few drinks in him. They all had drinks at the reception. "No, no of course not. God Mark I could never do that."

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do? Sit here and play Mr. Mom to Luke while you're a fucking ocean and a continent away?"

Jackie bit her lip and wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes furiously. "No! But what am I supposed to do Mark? I'm getting all these opportunities from different people. They want me to dance for them! That's what I do Mark! That's all I've ever been doing since I was three years old!" She started to cry. "This is my last chance! This is one of the last chances I'll ever have to do what I love to do. I love you Mark, I really do, and I hope you know that. And most importantly I love our son. I'd give my own life for him, that's how much I love him. But Mark, I want to have another baby. This is my last chance. If and when I get pregnant again, I'm retiring. I can't dance and raise another baby, plus a toddler, at the same time. You can still make movies and preview your documentaries at film festivals. One day you'll probably even direct your own fucking film with Hollywood actors. I can't dance. They don't want someone who has two children at home. But they'll still want your films."

Mark walked over to her and kneeled in front of her. "I love you." He kissed her and wrapped his arms around her. "And I'll still love you, one ocean away and four months from now."

"I just, I don't want to sound like this is something I have to do, because it's not. I don't have to do it. I'd still be just as happy as I am now with you and Luke."

"But you're basically viewing it as your last possibility to do what you love to do. I definitely think you should go for. I mean, yeah, four months is a long time, but those will be four months well spent. But it's not like I won't see you or hear from you. I'll call and try to visit as much as I can. It's a long plane ride, but it's worth it." He wrapped his arms around her stomach. "And I don't know if you realize this, but you're good at what you do. I don't mean just general good either. You're talented. I don't expect you to drop your whole career just for me."

Jackie nodded. "Honestly, two years ago I would have never thought that I would have met someone like you, or had a son. Back then I expected to be dancing until I was thirty, then opening my own dance school and teaching until I was about sixty years old. I mean, I never really expected dancing to be my whole career. It's not even what I went to college for. How many people say they're planning to retire right before they turn twenty four?"

"What did you go to college for?" Mark asked her.

"You mean I never told you?"

"We really never talked about college. Or lack of," he laughed.

"I went to college for my nursing degree. I really wanted to be an OB nurse and just dance on the side. I had two years of my degree already completed, and if I didn't change my major last minute to dance, I would have started rotations in the hospital junior year. Now that I think about it, I probably really should have just stuck with it."

"So you should. Sign up for classes for the fall of '99. Or you can even re enroll for the summer session, and then take classes in the fall. I mean yeah, we'll be married and I'll have to watch Luke while you go, but it shouldn't be a problem. Then you could take your boards the summer of '99 and start working by that September. I think you should go for it," Mark rambled on. 

"Yeah. Maybe I should look into it."

"You should."

" But I do want you to come to Sydney. After Harvey and I get there, I want you, Roger, Mimi, Jaylynn, Maureen, and Collins to fly down after the auditions are over. My dad's going to be in Perth with my step mom from Thanksgiving to Christmas, so we can all stay in his house. You know how big it is. You've seen it. It's right on the beach. It'll be perfect. Christina will give you off from work. You all really have to. I know Roger would want to go."

"Yeah by the time it's all over he'll be begging you to never make him come home to the city," Mark joked. "But he'd have a good time. Actually everyone would." He rubbed her back again. "So what do you want to do about Luke? Do you want me to fly down with him? Or do you want to fly down with him?"

Jackie shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Either way he'll miss one of us."

"How about you and Harvey fly down there. We'll book the other tickets before you and him leave. Then I'll fly down with Luke with everyone else."

"Are you sure Mark?"

"I'm sure. I want you to go to that audition," Mark reassured her.  
  


"Okay." She stood up and smiled. "Thank you!"

He glanced at the clock and climbed back into bed with her. "It's 5 AM and I have to be up in two hours to go to work."

She rested her head on his chest. "I thought you said you were calling out?"

Mark grinned again. "Yeah, but when you could be the next Steven Spielberg, I might as well get working on my next great documentary." He leaned over and kissed Jackie. "I'm just kidding. I am calling out. Plus, when you get back from Australia, we can start planning the wedding."

"I can start down there too, you know?" she laughed.

"I gotta give Roger the okay about the bachelor party. Wonder what kind of surprise I'm going to get—ow." He rubbed his ribs where Jackie had pinched him. 

"Keep it up, Mr. Cohen."

*                         *                     *                 *

"You know what I realized?"

Mimi sipped her orange juice and looked up at her husband. "What?"

Roger glanced out the window and onto the airport tarmac. "That those moving walkways are so fucking cool. We should have them everywhere."

Mimi shrugged. "Okay?"

"Just a thought."

"You seem to have a lot of those," Mimi smiled. 

Roger linked his hand through hers and kissed her. "Yes I do. And damn proud of it too."

Harvey and Maureen entered the small airport café and sat down at the table. 

"Hey," Harvey greeted.

Maureen wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and gave Roger and Mimi a watery smile. "Hi," she sniffed.

"You okay, Mo?" Roger asked her. 

Mimi kicked him sharply under the table and shook her head. 

"Ow?" He took another bite of the bagel he was eating. "Christ."

"So have you seen Jackie and Mark around here?"

Harvey shook his head. "Our flight doesn't leave until eight, so Mark just figured he, Jackie, and Luke should just walk around some more and talk before the plane boards." He glanced down at his watch. "Which won't be for another forty minutes tops."

"Oh," Roger replied.

"Plus Luke was being a little fussy so they figured that if they just walked around with him he'd calm down and maybe try to take a nap," Maureen added. Harvey ran his hand up and down her side as they all sat there in the booth. 

"Fat chance, really," Harvey said. "He already misses his mom."

"Yeah," Mimi agreed. "Jaylynn's at Matt and Lisa's tonight and she threw a screaming fit when we all left."

Roger nodded his head. "I really wanted to pick her up and just hold her for awhile but she's got to learn that sometimes she just can't come everywhere with us."

"That must be rough on her." Maureen picked up the other half of Roger's bagel and started eating it slowly.

For the first time in a long time, Roger didn't even protest. Didn't even bother to start an argument with Maureen. Mimi noticed this and glanced at him curiously out of the corner of her eye. 

"You know what I was thinking about the other day?" Roger spoke up about ten minutes later.

"What?" Harvey asked.

"How weird it is that we all have kids. Well, sort of all of us." He took a sip of Mimi's orange juice. "You two don't have kids yet, but I'm sure that'll happen soon enough. But really, if you asked me what I would have though would have happened two years from now, I wouldn't have said any of this. I probably would have said something stupid like fucking winning the lottery," he joked.

"Yeah that's true," Maureen agreed. "I didn't think I actually wanted kids. But being around Luke and Jaylynn, I kind of realized now that I really wanted to be a mom." She looked over at Harvey as she said this. "Eventually."

Mimi looked up at the digital departure and arrivals board. "We probably should go back to the gate now."

Maureen nodded. "Yeah."

*                        *                      *                       *

Jackie propped Luke up against her shoulder and ran her hand over his light blonde hair. He had fallen asleep about twenty minutes before when she was walking around the airport with Mark. 

Mark walked away from the large window that looked out onto the runways and sat down next to her. "You have everything?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay."

Harvey and Maureen walked over to them, followed by Roger and Mimi. They all made small conversation for the next fifteen minutes, and then the familiar boarding announcement came over the intercom.

"Attention all passengers, we are now starting the boarding process of Flight 8075, service to Honolulu, Hawaii, with continued service to Sydney, Australia. At this time, we're asking all of our first class passengers to please present their tickets at the checkpoint. Thank you."

Maureen started crying again and leaned up against Harvey. They both retreated towards the windows, where Harvey tried to get her to stop crying long enough so he could say goodbye to her.

Jackie kissed a sleeping Luke goodbye before handing him to Mimi. 

"You sure you have everything? Positive?" Mark asked as he pulled her close.

"I'm sure," she whispered against his chest. "I love you."

He kissed her and nodded. "I love you too. And I'll see you November fifteenth."

"I'll call you as soon as I get to my dad's." She then quickly hugged Mimi and Roger, before kissing Luke a final time. "Call me if he gives you a hard time."

Mark smiled. "I don't think he will."

"Yeah."

Harvey and Maureen walked back over, hand in hand. Maureen had calmed down some, although her mascara was streaked across her cheeks. 

"Ready to go?" Harvey asked her.

Jackie nodded. "Yeah." She kissed Mark again as Harvey kissed Maureen. He then grabbed their carry on bags and waited for her. "I'll see you in a few weeks. Love you."

"Love you too."

Harvey and Jackie quickly passed through the checkpoint and down the hall. They both looked back only once. 

"Long flight," Harvey voiced as he tossed the bags into the overhead compartment and took his seat. Jackie was seated by the window and staring out the window. The fog had started to clear, so hopefully the plane would depart on time.

"Definitely a long flight."

"We have a nine hour layover in Hawaii. We should go to the beach," he suggested.

"You just got back from Tahiti. Didn't you have enough of beaches on your honeymoon?" She nodded. " But yes, we should. We'd have to get a cab though." She started flipping through a magazine and sighed.

"Okay cheer up. We haven't even taken off and you're getting moody on me," he teased her. "And believe me, you're not the only one who misses someone. Maureen's probably still crying."

"Yeah." Jackie smiled over at him. "But if going to the beach doesn't put me in a good mood, then I don't know what the hell will."

"The plane food won't."

*                          *                          *                        *

Review!!


	57. 57

CHAPTER 57

A/N: Thanks to Amy, Michelle, liz (boho), Kelby, EMI, and Jan. You guys are awesome and thank you for your loyal reviews. 

Sorry about the slight delay in this chapter, due to me trying to update one of my other stories. But here's the next installment and I think you all will enjoy it. Hopefully. :o)

*                                        *                           *                              *

**EARLY APRIL 1999**

Jackie yawned and leaned up against Mark in the cab. "That was the longest plane ride ever and I need a hot shower right now," she mumbled into his shoulder.

Mark wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "How about that was the longest five months, ten hours, and fifteen seconds of my life. And Luke's life."

"Did you really count?"

He grinned. "I just made up the hours and seconds. But yeah, me and Maureen started a countdown in the beginning of March."

Jackie glanced out the window and smiled. "I guess you can say I missed this place," she teased him. "You know, the pollution, the sounds, the boyfriend—"

"The fiancé? Oh yeah, well I think he missed you too. Maybe just a little bit." Mark kissed her. 

"Maybe a hell of a lot?" she suggested. 

"Yeah guess what?"

"What?" 

"You're never leaving the country without me again. Five months of you down under dancing your heart out is too long."

Jackie laughed. "Why do you think Harvey came home after two months?"

"Because Maureen called him crying all the time, begging her husband to come home? Just a guess?" Mark answered.

"Wow, we've gotten sarcastic since I've been gone," she smiled.

"I haven't seen you since February when I flew down to Sydney with Luke. I'm entitled to all the sarcasm I want."

"Ha ha." Jackie stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm going to sleep the second I get inside."

Mark winked at her. "We'll see about that one."

"Sleep, then sex. Sleep, then more sex," she told him. "No sleep, no sex for you. Sorry, that's just the way it works. Besides, you don't want to sleep with someone who's jet lagged anyway. We're not fun. I'll probably fall asleep halfway through."

"That just boosted my self esteem."

The cab parked against the curb. Mark quickly paid the fare and met Jackie on the sidewalk with her luggage. They walked up the stairs and Mark knocked on the apartment door twice.

"No one's home?" Jackie asked him. "Then where's Luke?"

"Don't worry. He's here." Mark then dug around in his pocket for the key flicked on the lights.

_"SURPRISE!"_

Jackie started laughing when she saw Roger, Mimi, Maureen, and Harvey gathered in the living room. Jaylynn was sitting on the floor by Mimi's feet, and Luke was standing up against the coffee table. His blue eyes lit up at the sight of his mother and he toddled over to her unsteadily.

"Mama! Home!" he called out.

"Yes I am." Jackie picked Luke up and kissed his cheek. "I missed you."

"Miss you, mama," Luke repeated, his small hangs playing with her blonde hair.

Roger stood up and attacked Jackie with a huge hug. "Hey little guy, I missed her more."

"Roger?" Luke repeated. He looked so confused that Mark couldn't help but laugh and take him from Jackie's arms.

"Okay Rog, really, you're cutting off circulation." Jackie looked at his arms. "And you're still really tan."

"Yeah I know," Mimi added. "Don't ask me what he's been doing. I still say he's been hitting the tanning beds but he denies it."

"Ah, the pretty boy front man shares his beauty secrets," Mark teased.

"Hey, shut up! You want the bod."

Maureen rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him down on the couch. "Sit down, Roger. Before you make an ass out of yourself." 

*                                  *                        *                        *

They all spent the next twenty minutes catching up on a few things that Jackie had missed from being in Sydney, until Harvey realized that her luggage was still sitting in the middle of the living room. 

"Jac, your bags are still sitting in the middle of the living room," Harvey told her. He set his beer down on the table and Maureen snuggled her head into his chest.

"Yeah I know." She eyed them and shrugged. "Want to unpack for me?"

Harvey shook his head. "No thanks."

"Great friend," Maureen snorted.

"What was that?" Harvey laughed at her.

"Alright enough," Mark interrupted. "Rog, you want to get the kids to sleep or what?"

"Yeah sure." Roger scooped up Jaylynn off the floor, causing her to giggle. "Come on Jay."

"Nap? No."

"Nap yes," he explained to her.

Jackie unzipped part of her suitcase and pulled out a photo album while Mark and Roger were putting Luke and Jaylynn to sleep. "I finally got those pictures developed from November."

"How'd they come out?" Mimi asked.

"Yeah," Maureen agreed. "Let's see."

Jackie sat down on the couch in between Harvey and Mimi. She propped the album up so all four of them, including Maureen, could view the pictures.

The first few were taken when Jackie's friend Shawn had attempted to give Roger, Harvey, and Mark surfing lessons at the beach. There were some good ones of Roger paddling out and managing to surf a few waves, but there were also some hilarious photos of Mark wiping out and landing face first on the sand, Roger not far behind him.

Mimi pointed to one where Roger was sprawled out in the sand. "I'm using that one as blackmail."

"What are you using for blackmail?" Roger had walked out of Jaylynn's room and was resting his hands on her shoulders.

Mimi pointed to the photos again. "This picture. It shows a different side of you, don't you think?"

"Bitch," he teased her. "Yeah, I had a bunch of sand up my ass. Great picture of me."

Harvey flipped forward a few pages and Maureen shrieked. She covered the picture and took it off of his lap. 

"Oh my god! Jacqueline Marie Ferrell! What the hell is that doing in there?" she squealed.

"What?" Jackie looked at the picture and started laughing. "Oh my god! I swear I didn't put that in there. Shawn and a few of his friends finished the album for me and put the rest of the pictures in there when I got them developed.

"But you, me, and Mimi are sunbathing topless! On the beach! Who took this picture?" 

Roger shrugged innocently. "Not I." His lips curled up into a smile. 

Mimi's mouth dropped open. "You little pervert!"

"Oh come on! I only did it because Mark and Harvey dared me too! And you all have really nice—"

"Tits? Racks? Boobs?" Harvey suggested. "Those words any help?"

Maureen smacked Roger in his shoulder. "Fucking pervert. I'm never going to the beach with you again." She glanced down at Harvey and shook her head. "And you were in on this."

"You guys took of your bikini tops. It was like an invitation," Harvey defended himself. 

"So if you three sunbathed nude, is that an invitation to take pictures of your packages?" Mimi questioned.

"Honey you've seen my package enough times that you don't need a picture anymore," Roger laughed.

Mimi just shot Roger a glare, but had a smile poised on her lips. Harvey high fived him and started cracking up.   "Definitely agree. Maureen, that goes for you too."

"Okay, so no more nudie pictures?" Jackie looked at all of them. "Promise?"

"You're no fun," Harvey told her. "It's not like anyone else besides us are going to see these pictures."

"Yeah but still."

Mark walked back into the apartment. "What'd I miss?"

"Roger took topless pictures of the three of us when we were in Australia. Other than that, not much," Maureen informed him. "Oh, and Mimi offered to take a picture of Roger's hoo hah."

"Hoo hah?" Roger questioned her. "God, I'm glad I'm not sleeping with you."

"Shut up," she laughed.

"Children, how about a video?" Mark suggested.

"Oh, the video!" Roger laughed. "Yes, the video."

"You're being quirky today Roger," Jackie smiled. 

"I know. You'll like the video though."

"Well does the video have a name?" she asked him. "Where'd Mark go?"

"To get—**THE VIDEO**," Roger laughed menacingly. 

Mimi pinched his ribs. "Cut that out, Mr. Maturity."

"Sorry baby, I'm trying to not be mature until I reach thirty," he winked at her.

"Let's all hope that Jaylynn doesn't follow that pattern," Harvey replied discreetly.

"Hey, when you have kids, then come talk to me and join the parenting club. Speaking of, when are you having kids?" Roger asked.

Maureen blushed slightly. "When we're ready."

"Which will be?"

"Maybe in a year or two," Harvey answered. "To give Maureen enough time on Broadway so her name is out there and so I can cut back on productions."

"Uncle Roger's gonna be broke by the time he's thirty," Jackie pointed out.

"Yeah, well so will Aunt Jackie. Pipe down."

"Ouch. That hurt."

Mark walked out into the living room with a reel of film. He plugged in his old projector and positioned it so the movie would show on the blank white wall near the windows. He turned off the lights, but didn't pull down the shades since it was already pitch black out.

"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you a movie that has documented the last five months in New York City and the loft for my lovely fiancée Jacqueline. Please, make sure to turn all of your cell phones off, and as a small reminder, lets keep our hands, feet, and lips to ourselves. Especially Mr. and Mrs. Davis. Smile!" Mark initiated in a fake announcer voice. He sat down on the floor and pulled Jackie into his lap.

"You did this for me?"

"Yup."

The movie opened with Jaylynn and Luke running across the screen. They both paused in front of the camera and waved the best they could for only being a year and a half old. Roger could be seen in the background playing his guitar, and when the camera zoomed in on him, he smiled and held up a sign that said, "Rock stars can have kids, too."

Harvey pretended to fake cough. "Loser."

"Shut up, dick," Roger shot back.

"Your mother."

"Your mother was good last night."

"God, shut up!" Mimi reprimanded both of them. "I want to see this!"

Jackie smiled and leaned up to kiss Mark. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

It was good to be home.

*                                       *                            *                                  *

Review!!


	58. 58

CHAPTER 58

A/N: Alright guys, we're making some major progress with this story at this point. The past events will be tied up soon, but don't worry; I'll make sure to give you some fair warning. =] Other than that, keep reviewing, because I love your feedback and responses. 

**Quick reminder**: At this point, Roger and Mimi have been married for two years. (They were married in May 1997, and right now it's June of 1999). 

**Lisa:** Mark's younger sister.

**Eva: **Mark's mother

**Jillian**: Jackie's friend from Sydney

Enjoy!

*                           *                    *                    *

**[JUNE 1999]**

Mimi knocked on the bathroom door. "Babe?" When there was no answer, she tried pounding a little harder. "Roger?" Frustrated, she gave up and walked over to the kitchen where she started putting the dishes that were in the sink away in the cabinets. She felt Jaylynn pull on her jeans and attach her small body to her leg. 

"Momma? Have juice?"

"Yes baby I have your juice." Mimi opened the refrigerator and handed Jaylynn her sippie cup. "What do you say?"

Jaylynn sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor and looked up at her mother with her blue eyes. "Tank you, Momma."

Mimi crouched down and placed a kiss on the toddler's forehead. "Th-ank you."

"Tank you?"

She sighed and stood back up. "Good enough baby."

"Okay." Jaylynn rubbed at her eyes and yawned. "Nap now?"

"Not yet. Remember we have to go to Uncle Mark and Aunt Jackie's rehearsal dinner? For their wedding tomorrow?"

"No no no."

Mimi picked Jaylynn up and sat her on the couch. "Yes yes yes. So how about we get your pretty sundress on now, okay? While we wait for Daddy?"

"No."

"Yes," Mimi sighed. "Don't you want to see Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Yes!"

"Then you have to get dressed," she added slowly.

"No," Jaylynn protested. "Grandma? Okay." Instead of following Mimi into the bedroom, Jaylynn started drawing on a piece of paper with her crayons.

Mimi sighed once more and opened the bathroom door without even knocking. Roger was standing at the bathroom sink. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was putting gel in his hair.

"Are you done yet? Because we're already ten minutes late."

"Baby, these things never start on time," Roger smirked at her. He washed the remaining gel off his hands with soap and water and started at her. "What's wrong?"

"We're late, and Jaylynn won't listen to me or get dressed. And I still can't shake this damn cough," she added.

"When do you go back to the doctor?"

"I don't know. I have to call and make an appointment. She said it was just allergies the last time."

Roger looked down at her, concerned. "You should probably go and get it checked out anyway."

"Yeah I know."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "What else is bothering you?"

"I guess I'm not in a wedding mood. Or just in an party mood in general."

"I'm sorry." He kissed her again. "Want me to try and convince Jaylynn to get ready?"

Mimi nodded and smiled. "She'll probably listen to you anyway. She always does."

*                            *                          *                           *

"Everything is in this bag Sandy. Her juice and a few things to distract her if she's bored—um, I think that's about it," Mimi told Roger's mother as she adjusted the straps on her bridesmaid gown. "If she gets fussy—"

"Don't worry sweetie. I don't think she'll get fussy, and if she does I'll take her outside. You look beautiful, and you'll be fine. Don't worry," Sandra reassured her.

"I don't know. I still think I'm going to forget to do something and screw up."

"You won't. Just because it's a Catholic and Jewish wedding combined into one, you won't screw up. Now my son on the other hand—let's just hope for the best with him," Sandra laughed.

"What?" Roger looked over at the mention of his name. He was talking to Mark, Harvey, and Collins, and by the looks of it, they were all just trying to calm Mark down enough so the ceremony could be started. Roger was holding a squirming Jaylynn in his arms, and when he put her down on the ground, she sat down right by his feet.

"Nothing sweetheart," Sandra told him. "Are you really sure you don't want me to keep Jaylynn overnight? So you and Roger could stay in the hotel with Mark and Jackie?"

Mimi shook her head. "No. She's still getting over a cold, and plus we weren't planning on staying in the hotel anyway. Jackie and Mark's flight leaves first thing for Greece tomorrow morning, so instead of having breakfast then, we're having it when they get back in a week." 

"Okay. If you're sure." Sandra walked over to Jaylynn and picked her up. "Come on sweetie, let's go and sit down with Grandpa."

"Okay. Bye Ma!"

"Bye baby."

Roger broke away from the group he was huddled in and walked over to her. "Have I told you how great you look today?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, but only about five times," Mimi smiled. She straightened the jacket of his tux and bit her lip. "How's Mark?"

"Nervous as hell. Beats me because they've been together for two years—"

"And six months," she giggled. "Mark mentioned that last night at the dinner."

"Yeah. Right."

Mimi kissed him lightly before breaking away completely. "I better get back to Jackie. I'll see you in about ten minutes so you can escort me down the aisle."

"Not that I have anyone else to escort," Roger pointed out. "Or anyone else I'd want to escort."

"Good thing that you added that in or I might have given you a black eye." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned. "See you in a few."

Mimi made her way down the back hall of the small room the hotel had set aside for the bride. Since it was an interfaith wedding, Mark and Jackie had decided against both the church and the temple, instead settling on a ballroom in the Waldorf-Astoria downtown. The ballroom had been decorated accordingly, and with the flowers, candles, and lighting—it looked gorgeous. She knocked on the door and Lisa opened it slowly. 

"The guys aren't out in the hall, are they?" she asked.

"No," Mimi laughed. "I left them back in the lobby. 

"Okay. Good." Lisa breathed a sigh of relief and let Mimi in, locking the door behind her. 

Jackie was sitting on a chair near the vanity mirror. The short train of her dress cascaded over the chair and then some. The halter bodice was beaded her and there before wrapping and clasping around her neck, completely showing off her shoulders. Maureen was sitting next to her, fixing up her makeup, while Jillian, a friend of Jackie's from Sydney, was touching up Jackie's hair. 

Luke had fallen asleep on the couch, his thumb lodged gently in his mouth. Mimi noticed this and smiled. "How long has he been asleep?"

Jackie glanced at the clock. "About half an hour. I'm trying to decide if I want to wake him up for the ceremony or not. I'll probably just have my mom carry him out into the ballroom and then if he sleeps through it, he sleeps through it," she laughed.

"Okay! Finished." Maureen put the makeup back in the bag. "You look beautiful."

Jackie smiled as Jillian finished spraying her hair. "You really do," Jillian agreed. 

"Thanks. Hey, where's Miss Jaylynn at?" Jackie asked Mimi. She stood up from the chair and Maureen smoothed out the bottom of the train.

"She's with Roger's mom. I swear, that kid is a ball of energy today," Mimi laughed. "Roger can't even control her."

"That's saying something," Maureen teased. "Oh wow, the ceremony's about to start! Let me go get the flowers!" She ran out of the room quickly. 

Lisa shook Luke awake quietly and picked him up. He rested his head against his aunt's shoulder immediately and started sucking his thumb again. "Momma?"

"I'm right here," Jackie said. She walked over to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You be good for me okay? I'll be able to hold you in a little bit."

Luke nodded sleepily and Lisa carried him out of the room in order to give him to her mother, Eva, before the ceremony started up.

Maureen flew back into the room, holding a container of pre-arranged bouquets of flowers. "Okay I have all of them." She handed Jackie's to her, and then passed the others to Jillian and Mimi. Lisa walked back in and picked hers up carefully.

"I think we're ready then," Jillian pointed out. "It's almost time."

Lisa nodded. "The priest and rabbi said whenever we're ready because everyone is already seated and settled. Mark's at the altar, huppah, whatever you want to call it. Roger's doubling as best man and usher for you Mimi. Everyone else is ready."

"Okay," Jackie sighed, but then smiled. "Let's get this over with then."

*                             *                         *                          *

The ceremony started without a hitch at four that afternoon. Jackie had managed to find a Catholic priest last minute, and Mark's mother had arranged for Rabbi Himmelfarb to travel to the city from Scarsdale. The blessings had been said, rings had been exchanged, and the vows they had written for each other had been read. Mark had broken the glass at the very end, and the ceremony quickly concluded. 

The reception had been wild and raucous, even with everyone's family there. Roger's family had the most drunk people by one am, although Mark's mother wasn't very far behind. Cindy's kids had all fallen asleep in a corner of the room. Not surprisingly, Jaylynn was still dancing with her father until the very end. 

Mark dropped Jackie's hand and slid the room key in the slot to unlock the door. He turned back to her and grinned. "I think I'm supposed to carry you in now."

"Oh yeah?" she laughed. "Go for it."

He kissed her and lifted her up carefully. She shut the door with her hand before he could place her on the bed. She stretched out on it and closed her eyes. 

"So we finally did it." Mark sat down next to her and took off his shoes. 

"Mmhmm." She opened one eye and yawned. "Finally."

"Yeah. He glanced at the clock. "It's late. Or early, depending on how you look at it."

"What time does our flight leave?"

"Six am. It's a little after 2 AM right now."

"Ugh." Jackie sat up and rested her head on his shoulder. "Why did we get such an early flight?"

"I don't know. Want me to call and see if I can exchange our seats for a later flight?"

She nodded and took off her stiletto heels before resting her head on the pillow. "That's fine."

"Okay." Mark picked up the phone and spent the following twenty minutes on the phone with someone at the flight counter. He hung up the phone shortly after 2:30 AM. "They said they can put us on the nine AM flight to Athens instead. That's fine, right? Jac?" He looked over his shoulder and smiled. 

Jackie had fallen asleep, her chest rising and falling steadily. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her wedding gown, or better yet, let Mark take her out of it. Instead Mark quickly set the alarm, stripped down to his boxers and curled up next to her under the sheets after he made sure she was warm enough.

"Night. I love you."

Jackie snuggled up next to him and subconsciously rested her hand on his stomach. "Love you," she mumbled before drifting off to sleep again.

*                         *                      *                       *

"Two!"

Roger laughed as Jaylynn hid the two blocks from him. "Yup. Two." He picked her up and spun her around.

"You hide, Daddy! You go!" Jaylynn held out the blocks for him to take, but spotted his Fender sitting in the corner. "No no no! Play dat!"

Roger put her down on the couch and grabbed his guitar. "What do you want me to play?"

She crawled into his lap and watched him as his fingers started moving over the strings. "Dunno. Play."

Roger couldn't really think of anything that he wanted to play for her. Nothing came to mind at that moment. But the longer he sat there with Jaylynn rested against him, he decided to play a few random chords and maybe allow her to have fun with it a little bit. He hadn't let her play on his guitar before—he was too afraid that the rough strings would cut into her tiny hands.

"What this?" She plucked a string and started laughing. "Ouch."

"Let me see." He looked down at her hand and kissed it where it was red from where the string had hit. 

Jaylynn giggled and took his hand and copied what he did. "No ouch."

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Because I've been playing for a long time and my hands are used to it. But if you play enough, your hands will get used to it too," Roger explained to her in a way that she would understand.

"Okay." She yawned and curled up in Roger's lap. "Nap?"

"Are you sleepy?" He laughed at the tired expression on her face.

"Uh huh."  
  


Roger pushed his Fender aside and stretched out on the couch so she could sleep comfortably on his chest. "I love you."

"Love you too Daddy." 

Jaylynn quickly closed her eyes and fell asleep, and soon enough, so did Roger.

*                             *                          *                       *

Review please! =]


	59. 59

CHAPTER 59

A/N: Wow, sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been busy with school and my other stories as well, but finally here's a much-needed update. I know it's a little short, but right now we are getting very close to jumping back to where this story had first started (the present), thus getting closer to the end of this story.

There are still a handful of more chapters to go, but I just wanted to let you all know where we all stand.

Enjoy and don't forget to review!

*                        *                     *                       *

4th of July weekend, 1999

"So this is good news, right?"

Jackie blew out a smoke ring and nodded. She continued walking down Broadway with Mimi. "Yeah. It's not bad news or anything. Just a little unexpected."

Mimi smiled and took a drag of Jackie's cigarette before passing it back to her. "What are you thinking?"

They descended the subway stairs and headed through the turnstiles and onto the platform. Jackie tossed her light blonde hair over her shoulder. "Me and Mark will be married one month tomorrow. July 5th."

"I'm excited for you!" Mimi practically squealed as they boarded the train and took seats. "I can't believe it!"

"About me and Mark being married for a month?" Jackie laughed. "Sorry Meems, maybe you better get your head examined after all."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Come on, you're excited, right?"

Jackie nodded and crushed out her cigarette right below the 'No Smoking' sign. "Of course I'm excited. How many people do you know that get pregnant on their honeymoon, or right when they get back?"

"My sister Carmen, for one. She and her husband went to Hawaii, and five weeks later she realized she was pregnant. So you're really not alone in that category." Mimi brushed a stray curl out of her face. "You guys are still technically newlyweds."

"With a baby on board. Plus a toddler."

"Right." Mimi noticed the look on Jackie's face. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"Nothing. I just-I don't know. I thought that I would have been able to enjoy a few years of married life before I ever thought about getting pregnant. I love Luke. He's wonderful and all, but I think things just happened in reverse. Now with another one on the way, I just don't think Mark and I will have much 'us' time anymore. Luke's into everything nowadays, and with a new baby, I don't know. I'll be exhausted. I just hope I have a nice, smooth pregnancy with a normal birth. Unlike last time."

Mimi briefly thought back about that day, a year and a half ago, when Jackie had gone into labor four weeks early on Thanksgiving morning. Needless to say, the only turkey they had that night was on sandwiches Roger had grabbed from the local deli after the emergency c-section.

"It'll be a late Valentine's Day present. You can't get anything better than that. I practically have to drag Roger out to get him to want to do anything that day."

Jackie smiled. "I just don't know how to tell Mark."

"You guys could go out to dinner? Get a few drinks in him, and then tell him. Open bar," Mimi laughed.

Jackie stood up and held onto the bar as the train pulled into their station. "I guess this means no more smoking for nine months."

"Yeah."

She pulled out a cigarette from the package and lit in. "I'm quitting after this one."

Mimi laughed as Jackie savored that cigarette. "Isn't that what you said right after Luke was born? That you were going to quit for good?"

"Yeah, but then your husband got me back into the habit," Jackie laughed. 

"When in doubt, blame it on Roger," Mimi responded.

"Exactly."

*                                 *                          *                             *

Roger sat up on the bed when he heard Mimi walk into their bedroom. 

"Hey."

Mimi tossed her slid off her shoes and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Hi baby."

"How'd your appointment go? And Jackie's?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It went okay."

"Just okay?"

Mimi sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through Jaylynn's hair. The toddler was asleep on the bed, thumb tucked protectively in her mouth. "Yeah. Just okay. My doctor gave me something for my allergies."

"And?"

She sighed and tucked her feet underneath her slender legs. "My T cell count dropped a little bit."

"How much is a little bit?"

"430."

"Christ. Did she up your dosage?" Roger asked.

Mimi nodded and rested her head against Roger's shoulder. "Yeah. She changed it. So I take a few more pills a day and I stay alive for a few more years. Small price to pay, I guess."

Roger wrapped his arm around her stomach and kissed her. "I'm sorry baby. I love you."

"Yeah," Mimi mumbled. "I hate those damn pills."

"I know. You think I don't?"

She curled up against him. "You don't have to take as much as I do now."

"But eventually someday I'll have to," Roger pointed out. He was getting the hint that Mimi wanted to desperately change the subject. "So did Jackie find out anything good?"

Mimi laughed and got up off his lap. "You could say that."

"Why?" Roger grinned at his wife. "What happened?"

"Ask Mark."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Roger pretended to pout and stuck out his bottom lip, which only got him a kiss on his forehead from Mimi.

"Because I think Mark should be the one to tell you this time, not me." Mimi picked up a sleeping Jaylynn and walked into the baby's bedroom. She laid her in her crib and tucked the small blanket around her.

Puzzled, Roger walked in and leaned against the doorframe. "What do you mean this time?"

*                                  *                          *                        *

Jackie had just finished washing the dishes in the sink when Mark walked in the kitchen, yawning.

"Hey."

She looked up and smiled. "Hi. Luke still asleep?"

"Yeah. He took a power nap today. He's tired."

Jackie nodded and tossed the dishtowel on the counter. "He's still getting over that cold."

Mark yawned again and shrugged. "So how was the doctor's? Everything okay? Did you get that stomach thing checked out?"

She almost laughed at Mark's innocence. After already having one child, she figured that Mark would have easily picked up on the signs of early pregnancy. The headaches, the tiredness, the mood swings. Apparently not. Technically, she hadn't even gotten pregnant on her honeymoon, but it might as well have been. She was just over seven weeks now. Just when she had almost forgotten what it was like to be pregnant, here she was again. Except this time, she had not only herself to take care of, but also a toddler that had just steadily mastered the art of walking. 

"Uh, yeah."

"And?" Mark walked over and placed his arm around her waist. "What?"

She slid out from underneath his arms and shrugged. "You know how we sort of talked about having another baby?"

"Yeah?" Mark laughed. "I'm lost."

"Well, I am."

"Are what?"

Jackie groaned and lit up a cigarette. "Having another baby."

Mark stared at her for a second. "A what-really?"

"Yeah really. That's why I went to the doctor."

Mark grinned and kissed her softly. "That's great."

"You think so?"

"Of course I do." He practically picked Jackie up and spun her around. "You know I wanted another baby. Did this happen on our honeymoon or something?"

She laughed. "I don't think so. Probably a few weeks before."

"How far along are you? This is wow, this is really good news." He couldn't stop smiling at her.

Jackie took another drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out into the air. "Seven weeks."

Mark kissed her again, this time taking the cigarette out of her fingers. "You know I'm really happy about this, right? But no more smoking as of right now."

"I know. That's what Mimi told me on the subway," she laughed. "Everyone's a smoker in Sydney."

"Yeah, here too. But no more cigarettes until you pop the kid out, okay?"

"Pop?" Jackie laughed again and shoved him. "That's a nice way to put it."

"Boy or girl?"

"We won't know for awhile."

He shrugged and crushed out the cigarette. "Well what do you want?"

"I don't care-"

"As long as it's healthy," Mark pointed out.

"Right. But I guess a little girl would be nice. Not that I'd mind another boy. Luke and him would be closer in age and they'd probably get along better."

"Yeah probably. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh?" Mark grinned. He sat down on the couch and pulled her into his lap.

"I guess we will."

*                                     *                                 *                               *

I know it's been a while, but please review!! =]


	60. 60

CHAPTER 60

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! We're jumping a little bit of time now, so I'll just throw in a few reminders. 

Roger and Mimi have been married for two and a half years now. Jaylynn is now two years old, having celebrated her birthday in early September of 1999. 

Mark and Jackie have been married for seven months. Jackie is now eight months pregnant with their second child. Luke turned two at the end of November 1999. She has retired from dancing for the time being.

Harvey and Maureen have been married officially for a year in October of 1999, although their Vegas wedding took place a few months before that. Harvey is still dancing with the ballet company, and Maureen is still performing on Broadway.  

Hopefully that catches you all up a little bit, so enjoy this next part. The next chapter will take place shortly after this one.

*                            *                    *                      *

MID JANUARY 2000

"Oh yeah. Yeah. Right there. That feels so good. A little to the left. Oh my god! Right there."

"Mommy!"

Jackie groaned and sat up some on the couch. "Mommy's coming, Luke. God Mark, where did you learn to give back rubs like those?" she laughed.

Mark grinned and grabbed her hands, pulling her up slowly off the couch. "I am a man of many talents."

"Oh, right." She rested a hand behind her back, just as Luke came speeding out of his room, down the hallway of the apartment, and straight into her legs.

"Ouch!" He rubbed at his head and stared up at her. 

"Oof," she muttered. Mark grabbed her arm to try and steady her balance. "Luke, be careful!"

"I sorry," the toddler apologized. "Baby yet?"

Mark shook his head at his son. "Nope. Remember I told you that Mommy still has a few more weeks to go before your sister gets here?"

"Oh yeah. Okay." Luke ran back into his room, imitating an airplane.

Jackie shook her head and pulled her light blonde hair back into a loose ponytail. "I hope she comes early because I feel like a cow," she complained, resting a hand on her large stomach.

"Well you look beautiful anyway. Five more weeks to go," Mark chided her.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You're lying through your teeth. You said the same thing when I was pregnant with Luke. And it's four more weeks tomorrow!"

"Okay." Mark kissed her forehead and Jackie tried to scramble out of his arms. "What, I can't kiss my own wife now?"

"Ugh. You're making me have a hot flash." She pulled at the top of her shirt to try and fan herself. "It's so hot in here! Did you turn the heat up or something?"

"No," Mark smirked. "You're just hot because you're carrying around all that extra weight, remember?"

"Oh don't try to tell me how it feels like to be pregnant because you never have been!" she snapped at him. Jackie let out a long sigh and started bending down to pick up some of Luke's toys that were scattered messily in the middle of the living room. "God, I've told him so many times to pick up his damn toys!"

"Jackie. He's two years old. He's trying."

"I know! And I'm also trying to not lose patience with you or him while I feel like I'm about to explode." She looked down at her stomach. "Literally."

Mark had gotten used to Jackie's frequent mood swings, but every once in awhile she had a bad spell of them, and it was more than he could take. "Just try to relax. Please? You don't want to stress yourself out."

"Easy for you to say when you're not lugging around a beach ball in your stomach," she whined. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he laughed. "Come here."

Jackie walked over to him and kissed him softly. "I'm a real bitch lately, huh?"

"Well—"

"Shut up," she laughed. "Luke, baby, can you come here for a second?"

"Uh huh!" Jackie heard his footsteps run down the hall and then he appeared in the living room. "What?"

"Why don't you come with me and we'll go and visit Uncle Collins while Daddy goes to work?"

"Okay." 

Jackie took his hand and kissed Mark on the cheek again. "Have a good day at work. Don't get home too late."

"I'll be home at three," Mark reminded her, smiling, as he grabbed his coat.

"Sounds good! Wait a minute and let me find my coat and Luke's jacket and we'll walk out with you."

Mark patiently waited at the door. He heard Luke's closet door shut in the toddler's bedroom and then Jackie and Luke both appeared in the living room. He cracked another smile when he saw Jackie's stomach protruding from her black pea coat.

"What?" She shut the door behind the three of them and smiled brightly. "Do I look that horrible?"

"No, not at all." Mark picked up Luke and placed him on his shoulders, being sure to ruffle his son's mess of light blonde hair as he did so. 

"Mark be careful," Jackie said, reaching her hand up to make sure Luke wouldn't lean back too far. 

"Higher, Daddy!" Luke called out.

"No," Jackie laughed. She kissed his small hand and smiled once again. 

They reached the door to Collins' apartment on the second floor within minutes. Mark placed Luke back on his feet, and the toddler instantly clutched onto his mother's hand. 

"Bye little man." Mark kissed Luke on the cheek, and then Jackie on the lips. "I'll be home as soon as I can. Call me if anything changes."

"You know I will. Not that anything will happen," she sighed. Jackie knocked quickly on Collins' door. "Have a good day at work."

"I'm looking so forward to it," he laughed. Mark waved briefly at Collins when he opened the door. He made sure that Jackie and Luke were inside before heading for the subway. It was cloudy, cold, and it looked like it planned to snow outside. Just the type of morning that Mark wanted to spend in bed with Jackie and Luke, not going to work. But unfortunately, he had a ton of paperwork to do and a new personal assistant of his to train. He had to ship off his new documentary to Los Angeles before noon, and then field phone calls back and forth. At least he was finally getting somewhere in the company. Mark had his own office, and someone working under him to do the scud work, as he liked to call it. His primary documentary was getting play on the few independent movie channels, and recent attention was drawn to it at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. He was finally getting some well deserved recognition.

For the first time in his life, Mark could say he was truly happy. He had Jackie. They had been married for seven months already, and he could honestly say he didn't want to change a thing. Then there was Luke, a two-year-old ball of energy that was into everything you could name. He had started kicking around one of his toy balls the other day, and deep down Mark had a feeling that his son would be very interested in playing soccer in a few years. And if not soccer, then maybe football, basketball, or baseball. Even wrestling. Mark's mother Eva told him all the time how much Luke looked like him when he was that age. Luke had the same sparkling blue eyes and nose as Mark, but had Jackie's lighter blonde hair and chin. He could already tell that he was excited about the future arrival of his new sister, who Mark was just as anxious for. 

Life was incredible lately.

*                           *                         *                          *

"Hey Roger, what time did you want me to bring Jaylynn home?"

Roger looked up from the stove, where he had just pulled a pot of chicken noodle soup off of the burner. He looked up at Maureen and checked the clock. "Maybe around six? I sort of want to give Mimi a chance to get some sleep. Jay's been in our hair lately."

Maureen nodded and smiled. "No problem."

Jaylynn walked over to Roger then and tugged on his leg. "I go?"

Roger nodded and smiled. "Just for a little bit with Aunt Mo and Uncle Harvey. Until Mommy feels better."

"Kay." Jaylynn let Maureen help her into her coat and smiled. "You do my hair, Aunt Mo?"

"Sure sweetie." Maureen pulled Jaylynn's wavy light brown hair out of the hood. "I'll do it special just for you when we get back to my place."

"Kay."

Roger bent down to give Jaylynn a tight hug and kiss. "I'll see you later tonight, baby."

"Bye Daddy. Love you."

"Love you too. Mommy does too, okay?"

"Kay."

"I'll see you later Mo." Roger picked up the bowl of soup and glass of orange juice. "And thanks."

Maureen nodded and looked towards Roger's closed bedroom door. "Tell Mimi I hope she feels better, and anytime." She picked Jaylynn up and propped her up against her shoulder. "Come on sweetie, Uncle Harvey's waiting downstairs in the car."

Roger waited until Maureen had shut the loft door before letting out a long sigh. He heard Mimi's loose, raspy coughing from the other side of the wall. Then came the loud shifting of the pillows and slapping of the sheets as she tried to get comfortable after the coughing fit. This had been going on for almost two weeks now, and the doctors told them both that Mimi would get worse before she got any better. 

What had started out as bronchitis quickly developed into pneumonia a week and a half beforehand, and since then it had been a daily struggle to get Mimi to eat anything so she could take her antibiotics and AZT. She had been holed up in their bedroom for the majority of that time, and when she almost felt like her old self again, she started running a fever and was too tired or weak to even tuck Jaylynn in at night. The heater had been running at eighty degrees nonstop because she was constantly shivering underneath the four or five blankets that Roger had laid out on the bed. He and Jaylynn had grown accustomed to wearing just pajama pants and tank tops throughout the loft, and when he could, he cracked a few windows to air out the place with the cold January air. 

Roger creaked open the bedroom door slowly, setting the soup and orange juice down on the dresser top. He stretched his neck over to see if Mimi was still awake, but couldn't tell. He looked up and noticed the window right over their bed was opened, a cold breeze blowing the curtains back and forth. He stepped over the pile of dirty laundry and reached his hand up to close it.

"No. Leave it open. I'm hot," she mumbled.

"Okay." Roger sat down next to her and kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Same. A little hungry."

He smiled. "Good, 'cause I brought you food."

She nodded and tried to sit up some, closing the notebook she had previously been writing in. "Okay."

Roger carried the bowl of soup over to her and set it in her lap. "What were you writing?"

"Letters."

"To?"

"You. Jaylynn. Mark. Collins. Maureen. Everyone. I want to make sure everyone that ever meant something to me has a letter. Jaylynn will probably have more than one though."

"Oh." Roger's face fell. He knew exactly what types of letters she was writing. _Goodbye letters. _"Why are you writing them now?"

Mimi looked at him like he had sprouted a third eye. "Because I don't know how much more time I'll have to write them," she finished simply. "I want to make sure they're done and they make sense."

"Mimi, you have plenty of time—"

"Do I?" She looked at him sharply. "You know how sick I am now. Roger…I'm never going to be one hundred percent better after this. I've heard what the doctors have been saying. I've read the articles in the health magazines. This is a major blow to whatever's left of my immune system. It's not long before I develop another kind of infection and—"

"No!"

Neither one of them knew what to say to each other after that. Roger sat on the edge of the bed and fingered the edge of the sheets while Mimi managed to swallow a few spoonfuls of her chicken noodle soup. They wouldn't meet each other's eyes, so instead Roger took a long look around the bedroom. Pictures were everywhere. Their wedding day. Mimi and Roger sitting on the couch when she was nine months pregnant. She looked so frustrated, but happy at the same time with Roger's arms wrapped protectively around her. Mimi in the hospital with Roger, holding Jaylynn, who at that time was just a few hours old. Another picture of Roger, Mimi, and Jaylynn in Central Park when the baby had started to crawl. Roger sitting on the couch, picking out chords on his guitar while Jaylynn sat in his lap, mesmerized. 

He cleared his throat and looked up at her. "Mimi, you're gonna get better. Maybe not a hundred percent like you said. Maybe not even as much as we'd both like. But you're still going to be living, and breathing, and loving everyone. Me and Jaylynn. Everyone. I'm not letting you sit here in this damn room any longer, preparing yourself to die. You're not dying today. Not yet. Not if I have anything to do about it. You're going to be able to watch Jaylynn grow up a little bit more, and we're gonna celebrate a few more wedding anniversaries and birthdays before then. Not today. Not anytime soon," he repeated to her. "I'm not ready to let go of you yet." Roger didn't realize that he had started crying a little bit until he finished speaking.

Mimi wiped at her eyes. She too had started crying. "I love you so much. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm sick and I'm not going to get better. I'm sorry that I'm going to leave you both. I mean, what kind of mom leaves her own daughter? What kind of wife leaves her husband?" she cried.

Roger wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. "A great mom. A great wife. You'll always be Jaylynn's mom. When she grows up, I'll tell her about you. I'll tell her how good of a person you were and how much I loved you. How much you taught me. There'll be pictures. I'll show her everything."

She nodded and brushed a curl out of her face. "I don't want her to forget about me."

"She won't, baby. I promise. She won't."

Mimi rested against the pillows some more and looked up at the ceiling. She covered her mouth and started coughing again, as Roger rubbed her back soothingly. "I think tomorrow I'm going to try and walk around a little bit. Hang out with Jaylynn and color with her. Maybe watch a movie together."

"I think she'd like that. I have practice with the guys tomorrow at one, so you two could make it a girls day in type of thing," he laughed.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Roger? Promise me something?"

"What?"

"That when I start getting sicker, you won't let Jaylynn be scared. You just tell her the truth, and let her come see me as much as she wants to. Even if I look like hell and can't get out of bed anymore. I want to see my daughter for as long as possible. Promise me that."

"I promise." Roger leaned over to kiss Mimi's forehead.

"And another thing," Mimi added softly.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you won't leave my side when things start getting bad. I don't want to go through it alone."

Roger nodded and wrapped his arms around her. "Never. You'll always have me. I'll be there. I promise."

*                                *                         *                           * 

We have a few more chapters to go before we switch back to the present with older Jaylynn, where everything first started. 

Don't forget to review! =]


	61. 61

CHAPTER 61

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A/N: Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews on my last chapter. I'm glad to see that even though we're drawing to a close, you're all still with me.

This whole weekend I've had a ton of problems with my computer, the main cause of my lack in updating. Thankfully, most of those are solved now and I'm back online and can update again.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

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Roger rolled over onto his side when he heard the shrill ringing of the phone. He glanced back over his shoulder at Mimi, who was sleeping comfortably but somewhat propped up. He zoned out for a second, his eyes settling on the clock. 1 AM. Realizing that he needed to pick up the phone before Jaylynn or Luke woke up and also because it wouldn't answer itself, he reached his arm over and pressed the receiver against his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Did I wake you?" Mark's tried voice came over the line and Roger grinned.

"Nah. Kind of. I just got home from work a little while ago. So what's the news?"

"It's a girl. Seven pounds, four ounces. Twenty and a half inches long. Born at 12:47 AM this morning."

Roger could practically feel Mark smiling from the other end of the line. He glanced at the clock again. The baby had just been born about ten minutes before. "Congratulations. February 25th. Late birthday present, huh?"

"Yeah. At least it's not Thanksgiving."

"How's Jackie doing?" Roger thought back briefly to that Thanksgiving Day two years ago when Luke had been born by emergency c-section and how for a minute there, everyone had thought that Jackie wouldn't pull through. But she and Luke both did and everything worked out in the end, although it had been a major scare.

"She's doing great. Tired. How's Luke? Did he give you a hard time about going to sleep?"

"Nah. Mimi told me that both he and Jaylynn were out by nine. He kept asking about you and Jackie."

"I'll come by in the morning so I can take him back to the hospital to see her and his little sister."

"Okay." Roger yawned. "Did you guys settle on a name yet?"

"Not yet." Roger heard some commotion in the background and Mark temporarily covering the mouthpiece. "The pediatrician's here for the baby, so I have to go. I'll be at your place around seven, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Tell Jackie I said congratulations too."

"Okay I will."

By the time Roger had hung up with Mark, Mimi had woken up and was watching him silently. She let out a cough and Roger immediately turned around. "Hey."

"Hi," she whispered. She pulled her curly hair up into a messy bun and brought her knees to her chest. "Who was that on the phone?"

"It was Mark. Jackie had the baby about fifteen minutes ago."

Mimi smiled. "Aw, really? That's great."

Roger quickly filled her in on the baby's stats, wrapping his arms around Mimi's shoulders. "Mark said he'd stop by tomorrow to take Luke with him to the hospital."

"Okay. Jaylynn didn't wake up because of the phone, did she?" Mimi asked. "She always does."

Sure enough, just on cue, Jaylynn started crying in the next room over. "Mama!" she wailed pitifully.

Mimi stood up and pulled on her robe. "I guess I'll get her. I'll probably give her some juice and rock her for a few."

"Hurry back," Roger yawned again. He frowned when Mimi walked out of the room without saying anything in response like she usually did. 

It had been a little over a month since Mimi's battle with pneumonia in mid January, and her health had barely gotten any better than what it had been when she was sick. Mimi was still coughing nonstop, and the main concerns now were her lungs. The doctors had told Roger last week that if Mimi's lungs didn't show any signs of improvement, she would be hospitalized temporarily so the fluid that had slowly been accumulating could be drained.

Every damn day it seemed to him that the cloud that had been hanging over their heads since that Christmas Eve was growing darker without any signs of clearing. Roger didn't even want to think about how much time Mimi had left, but every visit to the doctor pointed out another flaw in her health and dashed his hopes more than even he had thought possible. Everytime he looked at Mimi and Jaylynn, he wondered how many more days he would be able to seem them like that. Happy. Did Mimi even have a year left? Would she even live to see Jaylynn's third birthday? Or her own twenty-fourth birthday in June? What about their third wedding anniversary in May? Roger didn't understand **why**. He was so angry sometimes he was beside himself. Their time together was drawing to a close, and there was nothing he could do about it. The Mimi and Roger legacy was ending. Time was no longer an option.

About ten minutes later, he looked up as Mimi walked back into the room. She was carrying Jaylynn against her shoulder, and the toddler looked just about ready to fall asleep. Strands of her light brown hair had fallen into her face and she stretched her hand out to brush them away before resting her head back down on Mimi's shoulder.

"I think I'm just gonna let her sleep in here tonight." Mimi set Jaylynn down in the middle of the bed and tucked her underneath the covers. She automatically stuck her thumb in her mouth and closed her eyes.

"How do you feel?" Roger asked Mimi as they both got resettled underneath the sheets. He kissed Jaylynn on the cheek and ran his hand over his daughter's back.

"Besides the cough, okay. The medicine's not really helping me any."

"Yeah." 

"Has my mother called me back?" Mimi asked him as she flipped onto her side to face him.

"Not that I know of, but I haven't checked the messages today. When did you call her?"

"A few days ago. I left a message with my Aunt Sofia. You know, in Argentina?" She's still there, I guess. I haven't heard from her in over a year." Mimi planted a kiss softly on Jaylynn's forehead. "I want to patch things up with her before it's too late."

"Can you just stop talking like that? You sound like death's about to fucking come knocking on the loft door in five minutes," Roger said bitterly. "It's really pissing me off."

"Excuse me for pissing you off then. Goodnight."

"Mimi, come on—" Roger tried to patch things up with her, but knew it was no use. He knew how Mimi's mood swings worked, and there would be no apologies tonight. Not until the morning, at least.

*                                              *                                       *                                  *        

Mark knocked lightly on the hospital room door and stuck his head in. "Ready to go?"

Jackie looked up at him from the baby she was holding and smiled. "Yup. They just discharged me when you were parking the car."

"Great." He sat down next to Jackie on the bed and kissed her forehead. "How's she doing?"

"Really well. She's perfect."

Mark grinned and let his baby daughter wrap her tiny hand around his finger. He remembered how scared he was three days ago when Jackie had gone into labor right before they both were about to go out to dinner. He had almost missed Luke's birth because he had been in Scarsdale for the day, and was determined to stay put until Jackie had the baby this time around. Hannah Grace Cohen had been born right before one AM on February 25th, five days after Mark's twenty-ninth birthday and two weeks after Jackie's own twenty-fifth. She had been one week overdue, but came out without any complications whatsoever. Weighing in at seven pounds and four ounces, Mark couldn't have been more proud when he had first held her. She was so small, with a head of light blonde, barely there hair. Mark didn't know if he and Jackie were planning on having any more kids after Luke and Hannah, but for now, all he knew was that there was one more person for him to love and care about. The idea of being a father was starting to set in all over again.

"Mark?" Jackie waved her free hand in front of his face and laughed. "Did I lose you there for a sec?"

"What?" He looked over and watched as Jackie placed Hannah into her carrier. "Sorry, I guess I zoned out."

"Over anything good?" Jackie stood up off the bed and sat down again in the mandatory wheelchair.

"Just thinking, about you, Luke, and Hannah. Jac, I think it might be time for us to try and get a bigger apartment. Or a house. Something."

She looked up at him as he started pushing her down the maternity ward hall and towards the elevators. "Mark, I don't know—I mean, I love it in the city. I don't really want to live in the suburbs. We could always try to a townhouse uptown."

"Yeah we could do that." He pushed her into the elevator as Jackie adjusted Hannah onto her lap. "I just wanted to run it by you and see what you thought."

"Well honestly…I don't know how you're going to react to this, but my dad and step mom are planning on moving out of their beach house in Sydney sometime next month and into another house a few minutes away. I talked to him yesterday and he's already planning on coming up here to see Hannah and Luke, but Mark—he offered to hand the house over to me. He knows how much I love it. It's beautiful. You've seen it. Right on the beach. Enough rooms and then some. Luke can have Shawn take him surfing when he gets old enough. Hannah could too. They could wake up in the morning and go right down to the beach. I want to buy it, Mark."

The elevator doors opened onto the parking deck and Mark pushed her slowly out towards Maureen's Acura. "I guess—I mean, it'll be a big move. Hannah would have to be a few months older before she can fly…we'd be leaving a lot of people behind. I don't know, Jac."

"Oh." Jackie got up out of the wheelchair and fastened three-day-old Hannah into her car seat. I guess." She passed to the passenger side and climbed in, while Mark started the engine and backed out of the parking space.

"I think we should just go for the townhouse. We can start looking this weekend maybe," he suggested. "So um, do you think you'll be ready for spring rehearsals?"

"I think so. I'm supposed to go to the gym with Harvey tomorrow for an hour for some conditioning with the rest of the dancers."

"Just don't overdo it. You just had a baby three days ago."

"Yeah I know. It's just something I need to do." Jackie answered him.

"I know."

Jackie turned around and smiled at the sleeping baby. "I wonder how much longer she'll be out for."

"She'll probably be hungry soon."

"Yeah."

Fifteen minutes later, Mark had parked Maureen's car in her usual space and he, Jackie, and the baby were heading up to their apartment. An equally enthusiastic Maureen and Luke greeted them.

"Hi!" Maureen squealed. "Oh let me see her! She's beautiful."

"And sleeping," Mark told her. "Let's try to keep it that way for a little while."

"Right."

Mark picked Luke up once Jackie had gotten the baby settled in its bassinet. "Were you good for Aunt Mo, buddy?"

"Yup. We played games."

"Cool."

"Can I go see Hann now?" Luke asked him.

"Hannah," Mark laughed.

"Hann-uh. Can I go see her? Please?"

Mark nodded. "She's sleeping, so you gotta be real quiet, okay?" Promise?"

"Yup."

Mark carried Luke into the baby's room, just as Jackie walked out of her and Mark's bedroom with Maureen. 

"What's Harvey up to today?" Jackie asked her.

"He's at the gym right now and picking up some takeout for us later," Maureen answered. "Doing the bachelor thing for the day. Pretending he doesn't have a wife."

"Fun," Jackie laughed. "Just don't let him stray too far."

"Do I ever?" Maureen tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ear. "I forgot to tell you. Promise you won't say anything to Mark or Harvey?"

"I promise." Jackie grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and opened it. "What's up?"

"I think I might be pregnant," Maureen whispered quietly.

"Oh my god! Really?" Jackie squealed in return. She gave Maureen a tight hug. "Sweetie that's so great! Harvey mentioned something about trying for a baby sometime soon. I guess it worked."

"Yeah. I go to my doctor on Monday to find out for sure. I haven't taken a test yet and I don't really have the time lately because Harvey's always home lately. I was just hoping to find out at the office, you know?"

"Yeah. Oh wow. This is great news!"

Maureen smiled. "I'm so nervous."

"Don't be. Please, I already had two, and the most nervous person throughout the whole thing is always the father. Although since it's Mark…he's always worried about something," Jackie laughed. "But Harvey's pretty well kept together. He'll be excited, I know it."

"I can't wait to find out. I hope I am."

"Then find out and let me know! This is so great." Jackie looked over when she heard Hannah start crying in the other room. "I'll give you a call later tonight, okay? Thanks so much for watching Luke for us, but I really have to feed her. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks Jac."

*                                         *                                   *                                    *

ONE WEEK LATER

EARLY MARCH 2000

Mimi sat up in bed and rested her hand on her chest. She didn't know what exactly had woken her up or why, but all she could feel right now was the pounding of her head and the tight, constricted feeling that had gathered in her chest. She glanced over at the clock and realized it was close to ten thirty. Roger wouldn't be home for another two hours at least. He was working the late shift at the bar again, for the third night in a row. Apparently they were suddenly shorthanded because a number of people had called out sick.

She shakily untangled herself from the sheets and walked into the kitchen as soon as she could. Hopefully a glass of water and some Advil would help her tonight. It had worked for previous nights. Now all she had to do was sit down on the couch and rest, watch some night tv, and hope Jaylynn would sleep through the night. She usually did.

About halfway through the Cosby show, Mimi noticed her vision blurring slightly. She dismissed it as her eyes just simply being tired, but started coughing immediately afterwards. Her glass had long been empty, so once again, she got up and made her way into the kitchen to refill it. The horrible, racking coughs started up again when she reached for the faucet and then—she couldn't catch her breath at all. Mimi started gasping for air in the living room, reaching out for anything to steady her balance with. When she couldn't find anything, she fell forward and collapsed to the floor, still coughing and clutching her chest.

"Mark…" she managed to croak out, hoping in some possibly way that he would be up at this hour with Hannah and hear her through the wall. He never came. She started choking and gasping, trying to catch her breath, but nothing helped. She was getting lightheaded, her vision blurring even more than before.

Somewhere in the background, Mimi heard Jaylynn start to fuss and let out a small cry. She couldn't get up off the ground—couldn't stop coughing—couldn't even move. _She couldn't breathe._

It was slow motion—and then she blacked out, and her coughing ceased altogether.

The now shattered water glass lay inches away, fragments surrounding Mimi's dark curls in the dim apartment.

*                                        *                                  *                                    *

Roger entered the loft around one AM from the bar. Yawning, he struggled to take off his leather jacket and boots at the same time. He couldn't wait to get into bed with Mimi and fall asleep. He didn't have to work tomorrow at all, so they could actually make plans to go out for once. They could even get a babysitter for Jaylynn and go out to dinner. They hadn't done that in awhile, and Roger figured they were way overdue for some alone time.

He turned the lights on and immediately made his way into the kitchen, a loud cracking noise emitting from underneath his foot. "Fuck," he cursed, reaching down and picking up the jagged glass fragment off his sock. Good thing he wasn't barefoot.

Roger bent his head and reached down, struggling to collect more pieces in the dark kitchen. The only light was coming from the single lamp in the living room. He managed to feel around for a few more pieces—his hands moving over the linoleum, and brushing against Mimi's curly hair. He jumped back and doubled over.

"Oh god. Mimi. Oh god. He leaned over to check and see if she was breathing. Barely. He couldn't really feel her breath moving over his cheek. "Fuck. Mark!" he shouted. "Mark! Goddamit! Somebody, help! Oh my god. Not yet. I'm not ready. No, Mimi. I said I'm not fucking ready!"

Mark had run into the loft, struggling to adjust his glasses on his face. "What the hell's going on?"

"It's Mimi. She's not breathing."

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Review!!


	62. 62

CHAPTER 62

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! I've almost broken 300, wow!

We have a short number of chapters left before we switch back to the present, where this story first began. I'm not telling you how many more, but we do have a few left. You might want to have some tissues on hand, because I can promise you that most likely, they will be tearjerkers, at least to myself anyway.

With that said, enjoy! 

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MARCH 14th, 2000

"Roger? I brought you some coffee."

Roger broke himself out of the trance he had gotten into and looked up at Maureen's silhouette in the dim waiting room. She had sat down carefully next to him in the plastic chair, extending her arm to give him the cup of coffee. 

"Oh. Thanks, Mo."

"Yeah." Maureen took a sip of hers and checked her watch. "Well it's a little after two AM…if you wanted to, you could go back to the loft and get some sleep," she suggested. "I could sit with Mimi for a few hours. I don't really mind."

Roger shook his head. "You can't. They won't let you in there. I mean, I had to convince five doctors to even allow me to come and go without breaking any visiting hour rules.  Especially since it's so late and you're not technically immediate family…they won't let you in there. I'm sorry."

Maureen cleared her throat and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I just, you know—if you were tired—"

"I'm okay. Jaylynn's okay?"

"Yeah. She's fine. Your mom called Mark tonight. She asked about Mimi. I told him that you'd talk to her today sometime."

Roger stretched his arms out and nodded. "Yeah. I'll have to do that too."

"Well um, I just wanted to bring you the coffee. I better get back then, Harvey's probably wondering where I am by now," she smiled softly. She stood up and slid her jacket on, pulling her curly blonde hair out from underneath the collar part.

"Hey Mo?"

"Yeah?" Maureen turned back around and stared at him.

"I just, I never got to congratulate you. About you being pregnant now and all. So congratulations."

"Thanks Roger." She walked over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Call if you need anything, okay?"

"I will. Thanks."

Roger stood up and watched Maureen walk down the ICU hallway through the glass paned waiting room window. Sighing, he set the coffee on a small table and shoved his hands in his pockets, starting to walk up and down the length of the room. There was no point for him to sit with Mimi right now. In fact, he had been there with her almost constantly since she had been brought in by ambulance three days ago. 

After finding Mimi unconscious in the kitchen, Mark had called 911 and they had dispatched an ambulance within minutes. Roger clearly remembered the ride to the hospital. It had been one of the most unnerving and terrifying experiences of his life. Not knowing whether Mimi was okay had killed him for the ten minutes he had spent with her in the ambulance. When they had reached the hospital, she was immediately taken into the trauma room, where she was worked on for over an hour. Tests had been sent off constantly, the results never good enough for the doctors. 

Mimi had advanced into full-blown AIDS and was battling a potentially dangerous strain of pneumonia. The doctors however had told Roger that she had been battling AIDS for months now, and the pneumonia had relapsed even worse than before. The fluid in her lungs had accumulated so much that it had started to collapse one of her lungs, causing her to pass out in the kitchen. Mimi had been immediately sent upstairs to the ICU and hooked up to a ventilator, heavily sedated. She hadn't woken up much at all since.

Roger pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed them over his chest, glancing out into the hallway. He could see a few nurses gathered at the ICU station right near the waiting room. He had been wishing for the past few days that there would be some change—anything, just to have Mimi wake up and talk to him again. She wasn't supposed to leave him like this. Right now, he wanted more than anything for one of the doctors or nurses to run over to him and say that Mimi was fine and that this all had been some sort of mix up. He'd give anything to see Mimi sitting up in that bed smiling at him right now.

He couldn't take the waiting anymore. Roger figured that the least he could do was try to get one of the charge nurses to let him in to see Mimi one more time before he tried to go home and get some sleep. If anything, he probably was in desperate need for a good shower. 

The brunette nurse saw Roger approaching the desk and looked up from the form she had been filling out. "Hi Mr. Davis. Still here? Is there anything I can get you?" she smiled warmly.

"Would it be okay if maybe—I could sit in with Mimi for a few? Before I leave?"

She nodded. "Of course." Together they walked down the hall and the nurse punched in the access code for the main ICU room. "There you go."

"Thanks Leyna."

"Anything else you need, let me know."

"Sure."

Roger passed his way into the small area sectioned off as Mimi's and felt his heart jump once again into his throat. She looked so fragile and so small lying motionless in that hospital bed. Her curly hair had been pulled back loosely into a ponytail, obviously the doing of Maureen or Jackie earlier in the day. She looked almost peaceful, but then Roger noticed the breathing tube that was hooked up to the ventilator and the oxygen tube underneath her nose. Sighing, he sat down on the edge of the bed and took her small hand in his, rubbing his calloused fingers over her smooth ones. The diamond in her wedding band caught the light and he brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss it gently. 

The doctors had told Roger earlier in the day that even though Mimi was asleep and under the medication, she could still hear him and he should try to talk to her as much as possible. Even though it sounded like bullshit to him, Roger had decided to try it and see if he would get anywhere.

So he began, as he had done the previous two nights before. "Hey Mimi. You know, I think you really need to wake up soon because Jaylynn has been begging my mom to have you tell her a bedtime story and put her to bed. You've gotta open your eyes before they're going to let you out of here, baby. I know how stubborn you are, and sometimes you don't listen to anyone but yourself, but this time, please Mimi, wake up for me and Jaylynn. The doctors won't let me bring her here to see you, not at least until they move you to a regular room downstairs, so—so Jaylynn really wants to see you—and…we want to see you better. Just hang on a little bit longer for the both of us, okay? Promise?" Roger paused and ran his hand over her forehead before planting a kiss on it. "I'll see you in the morning baby. I love you."

Roger smoothed the blankets down on her bed and carefully placed her hand back on top of her stomach before leaving the ICU. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would wake up. She had to.

*                                          *                                   *                                *

Harvey tossed his keys onto the counter of his and Maureen's apartment and set down the bag of groceries he was carrying. He dropped his dance bag onto the floor and grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

"Hello? Maureen? You home?" He walked down the dim hallway and into their master bedroom, where he found Maureen curled up against the comforter and pillows. "Mo? You awake babe?"

"Yeah." She sat up some on the bed. "I had a bad headache so I fell asleep for a few."

Harvey sat down next to her and Maureen rested her head on his shoulder. "You feel any better?"

"Kind of. Sucks because I can't take anything for it now so I have to tough it out," she told him. "How was your day?"

He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her close. "Okay. Rehearsal was long, and class was even longer. Something was up with Jackie today."

"What do you mean?"

"I think she got into a fight with Mark and she brought it with her to rehearsal so she was in a bad mood all day."

"What were they fighting over?"

Harvey shrugged and stretched out on the bed and Maureen followed suit, pulling the light blanket over them both. "I think ever since Jackie had Hannah, Mark has been working a hell of a lot. So pretty much, she's had to take care of Hannah, who's not even a month old yet, and Luke, who's going through the terrible twos. And I feel really bad. She looked really tired when she came in today. Plus she said she thinks she's coming down with something too."

Maureen nodded sympathetically. "They've always fought though."

"Yeah I know. I wasn't really supposed to spill this, but Jackie wants to move back to Sydney really bad. I think last year when she danced for a season with the ballet there she realized how much she missed home. Plus, she never gets to see her parents, friends, or sister half as much as she wishes she could because it's halfway across the world and airfare is expensive. Don't get me wrong, because she loves the city here, but she loves Sydney more I think. But Mark won't leave here, and that's what they keep fighting about. Either way, they're fucked, because Mark's parents and friends are here, and Jackie's are in Sydney. It's not really fair to either of them. They're supposed to be moving into a townhouse uptown somewhere for more room, but I don't even know when that's happening. All I know is that their relationship has been pretty rocky these past two months, and I don't know what's gonna happen."

"You don't think they'll get divorced will you?" When Harvey didn't answer right away, Maureen rolled over and rested her chin on his chest. "Harvey."

"I'm not sure. She's not happy. Happy with Mark, but not happy here. I know it's probably not fair to Mark, but if he wants to be with her they're going to have to come up with something to make the both of them happy. Plus Mark's job isn't as flexible as they'd both like it to be now."

"But they just had a baby…"

"Yeah, but it happens all the time. People get divorced all the time, newborn or not. We're gonna just have to wait it out and see, but I don't know. Jackie's been here for seven years now, since she was eighteen years old. I think she wants to go back home." He yawned and kissed her temple. "So what about you? What have you been thinking about?"

"Just stuff."

"You want to talk about it?"

"You didn't just marry me to fill some void after Natalie died, did you?"

Harvey lifted his head off the pillows and looked down at her. "What? Where did that come from?"

Maureen shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I just…yeah, that was stupid of me. I just think sometimes that if Mark didn't get his job, he wouldn't have met Jackie, and then I wouldn't have met you. We wouldn't have gotten married and I wouldn't be having your baby. You know? I just think a lot of things would be different around here if a lot of things didn't happen. If everyone didn't get sick, if Mimi didn't get pregnant."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I think that if Natalie and I would have went out even five minutes earlier we wouldn't have been hit by that truck and Natalie would still be here. She and I probably would be married and **she'd** be having my baby." He started stroking Maureen's hair and sighed. "But then I wouldn't have met and fallen in love with you, either, and I would have been missing out. You know how they say that everything happens for a reason? Well I think that in a way that's true. And right now, everything, good or bad, is working out for everyone just the way it's supposed to be. Even with Mimi not doing so well and Mark and Jackie fighting. That's just how it's supposed to be, Mo."

She nodded and wrapped her arm around his stomach. "I love you. Sometimes I don't stop to think about how grateful I am to have such good friends in my life. Plus a wonderful husband. I think the whole situation with Mimi and how sick she is really made me think about everyone. Like yesterday, I called Roger to tell him that I loved him. I never did that before. I used to hate Roger. We used to fight all the time, and now I consider him one of my good friends," she laughed.

"I know. I love you too."

"I'm really gonna miss her when she's gone," Maureen said sadly, a single tear falling onto her face. "I'm trying not to think about it, but I am."

"And it's okay to miss someone. Don't ever let anyone tell you that it's not. Just because Natalie's gone, I don't forget about her. The same with April. She's there in the back of my mind, but I've let her go and tried to move on the best I could. You'll have to learn to do the same with Mimi."

"Yeah." Harvey started rubbing slow circles into her back and she cuddled against him. "Can we go out to dinner tonight? I'm starving," Maureen smiled. 

"Sure. Let me just get a shower and we'll go. I probably smell," Harvey joked.

"Maybe just a little bit." Maureen stood up and stretched.  "Can I join you?"

"Hmm…" Harvey pretended to think about this for a brief second and laughed. He then scooped her up in his arms and carried her towards the bathroom. "God Mo, you're breaking my back!"

"Shut up," she pretended to whine. "Fine, then you can take a shower by yourself."

He kissed her and shook his head. "Nope. Now you're stuck taking a shower with me."

*                                         *                                         *                                   *

MARCH 16th

"Mr. Davis." 

Roger lifted his head up off of his arms and blinked groggily. The same brunette nurse from the past few days, Leyna, was shaking his shoulder lightly in an attempt to wake him up. He rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. Shit. He had fallen asleep right in the plastic hospital chair, still clutching the coffee cup from hours before tightly in his hand. 

"Yeah?"

"It's Mimi. She just woke up," Leyna smiled brightly. "Come on, the doctors are taking her off the ventilator now."

Roger was on his feet immediately and followed Leyna out of the waiting room. "You're sure? Really?"

"Yes really. She just woke up about ten minutes ago and the doctors immediately went in to see how she was feeling and how alert she was."

It had been five, long days spent waiting in the hospital for Mimi to make any sign that she was getting better, and now she had just woken up. Five days that had separated Roger from Jaylynn. He hadn't gone to work for any of those days. He hadn't seen much of anyone but the same nurses and doctors coming and going. And now that Mimi was awake, she had to have a slight chance of recovery, right?

Leyna led Roger to the same curtained area. Instead of seeing Mimi motionless on the bed, she was now sitting up and sipping a cup of water slowly. Her eyes immediately lit up when she saw Roger and she tried to give him a smile the best she could. The two doctors took note of Roger and nodded.

"Mr. Davis."

"Hi," Roger greeted them. 

Leyna cleared her throat. "Well doctors, if you don't mind, I think we need to give Mr. and Mrs. Davis a few minutes alone, seeing as Roger hasn't been able to talk to his wife for a few days. I'm sure monitoring Mimi right now can hold off for a few, can't it?"

The doctors seemed to incoherently mumble in agreement and left the room. Leyna smiled and did the same right after them.

Roger sat down on the bed and took Mimi's hand in his. "Hey stranger."

"Hi," she whispered. Her voice was barely audible, and Roger had to practically lean in to hear what she had said. "What happened?"

"You collapsed in the loft and I found you when I came home from work. You've been in the hospital for almost six days." Roger briefly explained to her what had happened and what she had missed out on. He was just so happy and excited to be able to speak to her again.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Roger told her, running his fingers through her hair. "I should have noticed. We should have gone to the doctor that day. I knew you weren't feeling too good and I went to work anyway. I shouldn't have."

"Don't blame yourself," Mimi replied. She started coughing roughly again and motioned for the cup of water. "Doesn't seem like I'm doing much better now."

"Don't say that. We don't know anything yet. I haven't even talked to the doctors. I just rushed in here when Leyna woke me up and told me you were awake."

Mimi nodded. "Woke you up?" she whispered. "What?"

"I've been staying here on and off for most of this week."

"Oh. Okay." She started coughing again just as a tall, middle-aged female doctor walked in.

"Hi, Mimi. Welcome back."

Mimi nodded. "How am I doing?"

"Well, we'll run some tests shortly and check your vitals again, but as of right now, I'd like to speak with your husband separately, if that's all right."

"Sure."

Roger bent down and kissed Mimi lightly on the lips. "I'll be right back."

"Yeah."

He followed the doctor into the hall outside the ICU. She stuck out her hand briefly and Roger shook it. "I'm Dr. Michelle Gallagher and I've been monitoring Mimi's condition over the past few days."

"Well how is she doing?"

"Here. Please sit down." She motioned with her hands to a row of chairs. "Mr. Davis, you wife has been battle a severe case of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia for the past week. In a nutshell, your wife's lungs are slowly suffocating her to death. We're trying as best we can to give her antibiotics to prevent this, but unfortunately this are having little effect on her. The only thing that she is benefiting from is the oxygen she has been breathing off of for the past few days."

"So…she's dying, then?" Roger said slowly.

Dr. Gallagher hesitated, but then nodded. "Yes. I'm so sorry. She has advanced AIDS now and her T cell count is under one fifty. I'm very sorry, Mr. Davis. I wish I could have brought you better news."

Roger swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and nodded. "How long?"

"Three weeks to a month. Her lungs won't be able to function much longer than that. I'd say two months maximum. I'm so sorry."

"Can I take her home?"

"We'd like to move her out of the ICU and into a regular, private room sometime today and hold her overnight for observation, but yes, we can discharge her the following day, although I'd just like to inform you that if she stayed in the hospital—"

"No." Roger shook his head. "I'm taking her home. We have a two-year-old daughter. No. I want her to be comfortable."

"Okay. I'll leave you now to visit with your wife, and if you need anything, just page me. I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

Dr. Gallagher nodded and left Roger alone in the pristine hospital hallway with his thoughts. Sighing, he glanced through the glass window and into the ICU, where he saw Mimi having blood drawn. 

Three weeks to a month. Roger knew now, there was no more time to waste. They'd have to savor every second of their relationship until the end. _No day but today_.

*                                      *                                        *                               * 

Review! =]


	63. 63

CHAPTER 63

In no particular order, thank you to H2O Angel, EMI, Jan, Michelle, Amy, Kelby, liz (boho), and DevDev for the awesome reviews! Thank you for helping me break 300!

Now onto the next chapter, enjoy!

*                                 *                                *                            * 

MARCH 26th

Roger paced the living room nervously. Would she show? She was already twenty minutes late. Maybe she had gotten lost. Would Mimi kill him for doing this to her? 

"Daddy?" Jaylynn looked up at him from the floor where she was messily scribbling with crayons on construction paper. "Juice please."

"Sure baby." He checked his watch one more time as he headed into the kitchen. He heard Mimi coughing again from the bedroom and then looked back at Jaylynn. "What kind do you want?"

"Apple!" 

"Okay," he laughed, checking the lid carefully on the cup before walking out of the kitchen and setting the juice on the table. "Just don't spill it."

"I won't." She took a sip of the juice and then resumed her coloring when the buzzer went off. "Door!"

"I know," Roger laughed again. "Don't move, okay?" He walked over to the door and opened it. **Finally**. She was here.

"Hello Roger. It's nice to see you again." 

Roger nodded and greeted Mimi's mother uncertainly. "Hi Anita. Thanks for coming last minute."

"No, it's not a problem. Anything for you. How is she?" Anita took off her coat and hung it on the rack by the door.

"She's…holding on. She's tired."

Anita nodded grimly and crouched down on the floor next to Jaylynn. "Hi. What are you drawing?"

Jaylynn held the paper up and smiled. "A picture of Mommy and Daddy."

"It's a very nice drawing."

"Yup. Who you?"

Anita looked up at Roger as if to get a sign that it would be okay to tell the toddler the truth, that she was, in fact, her grandmother. Roger nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well sweetheart, I'm your Grandma Anita. Your mommy's mom. I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but I live very far away, across the ocean, in Argentina. I'll show you one time, okay?"

"Okay." 

Mimi's mother stood back up and brushed off her tan pantsuit. "She's in the bedroom, then?"

"Yeah. She doesn't really get up until a little later. Then she sits with Jaylynn for the rest of the night."

"Okay. I'll go in to see her, then."

Roger nodded and bent down to pick up Jaylynn. "How about we go see Uncle Mark?"

"Oh, okay!"

Anita smiled briefly and pushed the bedroom door open. The dim room was illuminated by the sunshine coming in from the shaded window. It gave the room a very surreal feeling. Mimi was sitting up in the bed, the covers down across her waist. Her dark brown curls were pulled back into a half up, half down style, and she had her eyes closed lightly. She didn't stir when Anita entered, so the woman figured that she was dozing peacefully.

"Mimi chica," she whispered, taking a seat on the bed near her waist. She grasped her daughter's hand loosely and squeezed. "Oh, Mimi."

Mimi opened her eyes and blinked, taken aback at her mother's appearance on her bed. She started coughing violently and reached for the glass of water that was on her nightstand. "Mama? What are you doing here?"

"Roger—he called me. I got here as soon as I could. How are you?"

"The same. I'm not getting any better. You didn't have to come all this way. It was a long flight for you."

"No, no. The flight was fine."

Mimi adjusted herself and placed the glass back on the nightstand. "Did Carl come with you?"

"No, he stayed in Buenos Aires. Just me."

"Yeah. It's been…awhile. Almost a year and a half since I've seen you."

"I know. And I've been meaning to come here every day since then. I know you probably won't believe this, but that fight—Mimi, we said a lot of things out of anger. I wish we could have both lended each other an ear and listened before things got out of hand. I can't take back the hurt I've caused you, but I just want you to know that it's not intentional. I've missed out on a lot of things, Mimi. I have. I know that."

"You have. All I ever wanted to do was make you happy and proud of me," Mimi whispered. "I never expected things to turn out the way they did, you know?"

"I know, baby. Deep down, I've always been proud of you. You're my little girl. I love you," Anita whispered, taking Mimi's hand again. "I know that growing up, everything wasn't always so easy. Especially with the divorce. But you, you were tough. Strong. A fighter."

"I think growing up in Queens, I had to be," she laughed a little bit, before that laugh turned into a cough.

"I always felt that I had to let you go so much earlier then everyone else. You were so independent from the start, so headstrong and stubborn, just like your father. And then when you got older and starting hanging around with the boys, different crowds, and different friends. I cherished our relationship enough to let you have your freedom. I didn't want to take that away from you. I always viewed you as a bird that would go south for the winter and come around again when the time was right. You were so free, Mimi. You grew up before your time."

"And now, I'm flying south again, before my time. Except this time, I won't ever be coming back." Mimi's eyes started to water and she broke down in sobs. "I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry I let you down."

Anita stroked Mimi's hair as she laid her head in her lap, crying. "You never let me down, baby. I let you down. I don't know why I moved away. I regret it now—I wish I could have helped you with so many things. With money, with your health. I wanted to see Jaylynn grow up. I should have been there for you. I'm sorry. I want you to forgive me, Mimi chica. Can we forgive each other, before it's too late?"

Mimi nodded and started coughing again. "I feel like I wasted so much time. I can't even do half of the things I want to now or see half of the people I want to see."

"You've lived a good twenty three years, sweetheart. Lots of very happy memories that you'll take with you. You have a beautiful daughter with Roger. And you'll always have a special place in my heart that never fades. Marcela Concepcion, from the minute you were born, your father and I both knew that you would have to fly free. And you did, baby. You flew away and back to us." Anita kissed Mimi's cheek and wiped away the tears that had fallen. "You did."

"I'm scared, Mama. I don't know—I don't know what to do, or how to say goodbye."

"And it's okay to be scared. When the time comes, you say your goodbyes, and then you think good thoughts. Happy thoughts that'll keep a smile on your face. Then before you know it, you're father will be waiting for you. Hmm? Second to the right, and straight on 'til morning."

"Peter Pan."

"You used to love that movie, remember? We used to watch it every day practically. You knew it by heart."

"I did," Mimi sighed. "And I'd like to watch it with Jaylynn while I still can." She sat up again and wiped her eyes. 

Anita handed her a tissue and smiled. "She'll never forget you."

"I'm trying to make as much memories as I can with her. It's hard. I wish she was a little older."

"She'll remember you. We'll all make sure of that." Anita patted Mimi's leg. "Now how about we go and see my granddaughter, if you're feeling up to it?

"Okay," Mimi nodded. "I'll have to introduce you two."

Anita held out her hand and wrapped it around her daughter's shoulders protectively. "I already have."

*                                   *                                 *                                             *

Jackie uncapped the Sharpie marker and scribbled another label onto the large cardboard box that was sitting in the middle of the kitchen. She yawned and stretched, adjusting the black bandanna that was wrapped around her head in the process.

"Hey, Ma! Look!"

Jackie looked over, where Luke was sitting next to her. He picked up the two pots and banged them loudly together. "Shh!" Jackie laughed. "Don't wake up your sister."

"Sorry," he giggled. "Here go."

"Thanks, babe." Jackie ruffled his light blonde hair and put the pots into another box with the others. "Hey, I think it's time for your nap."

"No."

"Yes," she insisted. "Come on. "Daddy said he'd take you to the park later if you go to sleep right this second—"

"Oooh! So I can feed the birdies. Okay, okay, I go to sleep." Luke ran down the hall and Jackie hurried after him. Lately, he had been getting in to everything and taking off in the blink of an eye.

Within minutes, she had settled Luke into his crib and tucked the sheets in around him. Jackie made a mental note to talk to Mark about getting him his first bed sometime soon, probably right after they moved into the townhouse uptown. He was quickly outgrowing the crib, and she figured that if they got Luke out of the crib and into a real bed sometime next month, she could use the crib for Hannah, just when she would start to outgrow her bassinet. Plus, it would make the move much easier.

Mark and Jackie had finally settled on a nice, spacious townhouse uptown, not too far away from Central Park. It was in a development of townhouses and in a pretty nice neighborhood for Manhattan. Not as close to the East Village as Mark would have like, but it was closer to SFP Productions, his job, and the New York City Ballet, her job. The townhouse had three separate bedrooms, a room that could be converted either into another small bedroom or an office, and two and a half bathrooms. The living room had a deck attached to the very end with a great view of the street and New York City bustle below. Plus, it had a very full kitchen that Jackie loved.

The bottom floor housed the living room, kitchen, one bathroom, office, one of three bedrooms and separate den. Jackie knew she would end up converting this space into an area for the kids to hang out. The top floor held the master bedroom and other bedroom, as well as the master bathroom. Pretty much, it was a great place, and they were paying a pretty affordable rate.

The best part of the whole thing was that her and Mark had agreed about Sydney, for once. Jackie had ended up inheriting the house from her father, so that meant from late November to early April; they had the option of living there for those months, right during the Sydney summer. Mark had even gotten the opportunity to have his production work emailed to him straight to his laptop, meaning that whenever they decided to head down there, it was okay. Jackie knew there would be times when only she and the kids could go, but that was fine by her. She needed to be able to go home, and this was the closest way possible of doing that.

She felt Mark's arms around her stomach and the kiss on her neck. It automatically shook her out of her thoughts. 

"Hey," he greeted. "Kids asleep?"

"Yeah," she nodded, turning around to kiss him. "How was lunch with Roger?"

"It was okay. He was a little quiet, but that's understandable." He looked around and winced. "How's packing going?"

"It's going okay. Pretty much everything is done, I guess. Luke just fell asleep and Hannah's been down for about an hour, so it gave me some time to myself."

"Good. So how busy are you right now?"

"I'm taking a break, why?" Jackie asked him.

"We just haven't had a lot of time to ourselves lately and I was was wondering if, maybe…you'd be interested in doing a little something else?"

"Hmm…like what?"

Mark grinned and shrugged. "Oh, you know. Talking, maybe."

"Talking? Is that what you call it now? Let's just remember where the talking got us nine months later last time," she laughed. 

"Now whose mind is in the gutter?" Mark kissed her neck again and ran his hand over her stomach.  "Come on, the offer's about to expire," he teased.

Jackie ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. "I guess it couldn't hurt any."

"Good. 'Cause I've been looking forward to this for awhile." He scooped her up and carried her into their bedroom, where for the next half an hour, they took full advantage of the fact that Luke and Hannah were sound asleep for the time being.

*                                      *                                  *                                   *

Mimi lifted her head off of Roger's shoulder sleepily. "Movie's over?"

He nodded and wrapped the blanket around them tighter. "It has been for awhile now."

"Why didn't you wake me up? It's after midnight," she smiled, burying her face in his chest. "We could have at least gone into the bedroom instead of staying on the couch all night."

"Yeah. I don't know, I guess I wanted to watch you sleep. Old habit. How are you feeling?"

"I wish I could say I was feeling okay. I can't even walk to the bedroom anymore without feeling like my lungs are collapsing," Mimi told him honestly. " I just, Roger, would you hate me for saying this?"

"No, go ahead." He ran his fingers lightly over her arm.

"Sometimes I wish that death would hurry up and come claim me or whatever. I'm so sorry, that sounds **really** morbid but I can't go on this way. It hurts too much. I wish I could actually run after Jaylynn like I used to be able to. Now I can't even take two steps without you having to help me."

Roger said nothing at first, and instead kept running his fingers up and down her arm. "I know, baby. I know."

"But do you?" She shook her head. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"Yeah." Roger helped Mimi up off the couch, but last minute, decided to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way to their bedroom. 

"Remember how many times you used to carry me up the stairs to the loft just because?" Mimi whispered, holding onto his neck tightly. "And how much fun we used to have, when I was still able to go out. God Roger…I feel like this is it. I'm almost done. Like something inside of my body is telling me that it's almost time to shut down and for me to let go. I just have this sinking feeling that everything's almost over."

Roger set her gently down on the bed, without tucking her in. "Are you scared?"

"A little bit," she said softly. "Come here."

He obeyed and stretched out gently on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his nose. "You've always been so much stronger than me, Mimi."

"That's not true…"

He nodded and kissed her. "It is true. You always have been, with everything. Sometimes I like to think I am, but you, wow. You're the love of my life. From the first day I met you, you had this ability to light up the room. You drew me in, even when I didn't want to be around anyone. I always could be around you. Everything you did—you taught me so much. I wouldn't trade anything for any second, not even the fights. They made us what we are today."

"They have," she giggled. "And did we **ever** get into some bad ones. Half of the time I was kind of afraid Mark would kill us in our sleep."

"Yeah," Roger smiled. "He has put up with a lot of our shit over the years. But it's been one hell of a ride, don't you think? And definitely worth it."

"We grew up a lot. Changed a lot. We all have. I think that's kind of what's worth it in the end. We've become this tight little family that would go to hell and back for each other. That's what I'm going to miss the most. When most people think of New York City, they think of muggings and pollution. But I think of family, and most importantly, you. New York City is your city, Roger. Don't let anyone tell you different."

Roger was silent and the got up off of Mimi for a second. He ruffled around in the drawer and took out a small, white candle and lit it silently before setting it on the nightstand. He then laid back on top of her and kissed her once again.

"That's always gonna be our candle, Mimi. We're always gonna have our life and memories together, and our song. Whether or not you're here, that fire, the spark that lighted our relationship from the start is always right here." He took Mimi's hand and raised it to his chest, kissing her fingertips lightly. 

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too." He ran his fingers through her hair as his kissed her, with more passion than the previous ones. Soon enough, they were both clinging to each other like oxygen, and Roger slowly lifted Mimi's tee shirt over her head. "You're okay with this?"

"Let's just make it last," she breathed heavily. 

Roger nodded, and the image of this night was forever imprinted into his memory, just as the wax melted from the candle he had lit for Mimi, four years before.

_It may well be that we will never meet again in this lifetime_ _So let me say before we part_

_So much of me is made of what I learned from you_

_You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart_

_And now whatever way our stories' end_

_I know you have rewritten mine_

_Who can say if I've been changed for the better?_

_But because I knew you_

_I've been changed_

_For good._

*                                      *                                      *                                 * 

Review, please. 

Lyrics credited to Wicked's 'For Good'.


	64. 64

CHAPTER 64

*                                     *                              *                               *

APRIL 13th

"And then, Snow White and the Prince lived happily ever." Roger finished the book and set it on the nightstand, moving Jaylynn around in his lap to get comfortable. 

"How come?" she asked him, looking up at Roger with her big, brown eyes.

Mimi moved her head on the pillow slightly and looked at Jaylynn. "Because that's the way the story ends, baby," she coughed weakly. "With…the dwarfs and everything."

"Cool." 

Roger laughed and smiled. He had taught Jaylynn that word last week. "How about you get ready for bed?"

"Okay. Mama come?"

"No, baby. Mama has to stay here," Mimi explained softly. "But give me a goodnight kiss, okay?"

"Okay." Jaylynn crawled over and wrapped her arms softly around her mother's neck, burying her face in her shoulder. This time, Mimi held on a little bit longer, rubbing her hand down her daughter's tiny back.

"I love you, Jaylynn Angela. Don't forget that."

"Love you, Mama."

Roger looked at Mimi, and he picked up Jaylynn and carried her to the doorway. "Night, Jay?"

"Night Mama!"

Mimi coughed and smiled. "Send in Mark for me, okay?"

"Sure." Roger walked out of the room and into the living room. "Mark?"

"Yeah?" Mark looked over from the island, where he was sitting with Jackie. They had both stayed for dinner with Hannah, who was sound asleep in her carrier near the couch. Mark's mother had offered to take Luke for the weekend.

"Mimi wants to see you for a minute."

"Oh." Jackie paled a little bit, and said something to him quickly. He then got up and headed for Mimi and Roger's bedroom, as Roger entered Jaylynn's room to put her down for the night.

"Hey stranger," Mimi greeted Mark once she saw him standing uncomfortably by the dresser. "I don't bite or anything," she joked.

"Yeah…I know that. It's just—really hard seeing you this way. I hope that doesn't sound too blunt, or, yeah."

Mimi smiled at Mark's awkwardness. "Come sit down?"

"Sure." Mark sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Mimi pull an envelope out of a composition book that was set next to her pillow. She handed it to him and he eyed it curiously. "What's this?"

"Something for you. Just do me a favor and open it after, you know? Okay?"

"You got it," Mark told her, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. "Anything I can get you?"

"No. I'm fine. It's getting late, you and Jackie should probably be getting back. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay." He understood that Mimi was probably exhausted. Roger told him that she barely stayed awake for long lately. After dinner, when Roger had went to see how Mimi was doing, Mark had told Jackie that he wished Roger would admit her back into the hospital. Although it probably couldn't prolong her life, he hoped that the doctors could do **something** to make her more comfortable than she was now. He knew that stubborn as Roger was, he would never go for it. He wanted Mimi to stay home, and it wasn't Mark's place to fight him for that.

"Well…I probably should get some sleep."

"Yeah. Sorry to keep you up."

"No problem," Mimi yawned. "Love you, Marky."

"Love you too." Mark dimmed the lights and left the door slightly open as he walked back into the living room. Jackie was sitting on the couch, feeding Hannah her bottle. 

"Everything okay?" Jackie asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. Fine. You almost ready to go?"

She nodded and put the cap back on the bottle. "Let me just burp her and try to get her settled down. You want to go and start the car?"

He nodded and pulled the keys out of his pocket. "I'll tell Roger we're leaving then."

"Okay."

Mark stuck his head in and waved at Roger, who was standing over Jaylynn's bed silently, arms crossed over his chest. "Hey, we're gonna get going. I've got work in the morning and Jackie looks pretty tired."

  
"Oh yeah. I almost forgot you two were still here. Mimi asleep?"

"I think so."

"Yeah. I'll see you in the morning then."

"Thanks for dinner."

Roger smirked and shrugged. "If you call takeout dinner?"

"Food's food," Mark laughed. "See you, Rog."

Roger checked one more time that Jaylynn had fallen asleep and was warm enough before leaving her bedroom. He then walked into his own bedroom and walked over to Mimi's side of the bed. She had her eyes closed, but he knew she wasn't sleeping. It was more of a routine that she went through before she did fall asleep. He gently kissed her on the lips softly and she opened her eyes.

"You should know better then to sneak up on a girl when she's asleep," she smiled. "Coming to bed?"

"I have to shower and make a phone call to Wes, but I'll come to bed in about an hour. That okay?"

"Yeah, of course.  I love you."

"I love you too." Roger smoothed down her hair and smiled. "Really, I love you Mimi."

"So do I. I love you."

*                                        *                                      *                                    *

It was late, a little after one, when Roger finally headed to bed. The shower had gone by quickly…but the phone call to Wes hadn't. He should have probably saved it to the morning, but every time he was on the phone with the drummer, they always had a habit of getting into one thing after another. They always had a few laughs, and Roger definitely needed that lately.

He looked over at the bed and knew Mimi was asleep. He hoped she hadn't tried to wait up for him. He made a mental note to ask her in the morning. 

Yawning, Roger kicked aside a pile of dirty laundry and stripped out of his shirt and pants, leaving himself in his boxers. Just a regular old part of his bedtime routine. He took his AZT, set the glass on the nightstand, and turned off the phone in the bedroom. He always did this, because he never wanted it to wake Mimi in the mornings.

A light breeze blew over the bed and instantly Roger realized that he had forgotten to close the window over the bed earlier. He looked over at Mimi before doing so, and figured he might as well risk waking her up to ask her if she wanted to leave the window open. Sometimes she had a rough night with her coughing, and the air helped her. Tonight he wasn't sure—and it was breezy out for April. He didn't want her to catch a chill. He realized he was debating over this **too** much, and finally gave in and asked her.

"Hey, Mimi," he whispered. "Do you want me to leave the window open?"

When there was no answer right away, Roger knew it was normal. Sometimes you had to repeat her name a few times, and then she would wake up. He smiled a little and ran his fingers through her curly hair. 

"Mimi…" he called out again. "You want me to keep the window open?"

He shook her shoulder gently and smiled. "Mimi." Roger ran his hand down her arm and grasped her hand. Her fingers were freezing. "Mimi?" He looked up and dropped her hand. Her chest was no longer rising and falling rhythmically with the pattern of her breathing. "Mimi!" He rested his cheek over her mouth and then dropped his head onto her chest. "Mimi, no," he started sobbing. "No."

Roger wanted to believe that he was prepared for this all along, but in reality, he wasn't. Mimi was gone. He hadn't been prepared for it all. Not like this. 

He laid out next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her softly on her now cold lips. She was still warm. Roger didn't want to—she couldn't be. 

_But she was._

"I'm sorry…I love you," Roger repeated slowly, lifting her hand up to kiss it. "I love you."

He wasn't ready to call anyone yet. It was too soon. They could wait a few hours. He wanted to lay here alone with his Mimi, because he knew that after tonight, he'd no longer be able to.

And on April fourteenth, what once was would never be again.

 *                                        *                                        *                                        *

Maureen sat up in bed and watched Harvey get changed quickly in the dark. "Is it time for you to get ready for rehearsal already? You have another early one today?" she yawned, half asleep.

Harvey jumped, obviously not realizing that his wife had woken up. "Hey…no. I um, Maureen?"

"Yeah sweetie?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. "I got a phone call from Jackie about ten minutes ago—"

Maureen started shaking her head. "No…"

"Yeah. Mimi died…sometime early this morning. I'm sorry." He raised his hand up and ran it against her cheek lightly.

She rested her head against his chest and said nothing as he hugged her tightly and rubbed her back. "How's Roger?" she whispered. 

"Jackie didn't say. Her and Mark left to go over to the loft now. That's where I was about to go."

"Can I come with you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Just throw a jacket on. It's breezy out tonight."

Maureen got out of the bed and stood up, walking over to the closet and pulling out a sweatshirt jacket. She pulled it on over her blue plaid pajama pants and slipped her sneakers on. 

Harvey had reentered their bedroom with his car keys and he jingled them together in his pocket. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

He held out his hand to her and they left their apartment for the parking deck.

*                                            *                                       *                                    * 

Roger shifted a sleeping Jaylynn on his lap and rubbed her back. He had spent much of the early morning intently focusing on the television, just to avoid everyone else that had come over to the loft.

Mark and Jackie had been the first to arrive after Collins, whom Roger had called first. Harvey and Maureen showed up a little later, and for the most part, not much had been said since anyone had gotten there. The coroner had come and gone, and now all was left were the sounds of heavy sobs coming from Maureen and Jackie in what was Mark's old bedroom. He really wished they would all stop, because it was starting to annoy the hell out of him. 

"Mark!" he called out. 

Mark came out of the bedroom and leaned up against the edge of the couch. "Yeah, Rog? Can I get you anything?"

"Take her for me? I need a smoke."

"Uh, okay." Mark picked up Jaylynn and watched as Roger walked to the kitchen, pulled out a cigarette from his pack, and lit it. "I just don't—you're not reacting."

Roger blew out the smoke into the room. "How the **fuck** am I supposed to react? Don't even fucking think for a second you can read me like a book and tell me what I should or shouldn't be saying. Do you honestly want me to get up and skip around and pretend I'm happy right now? My wife died. Mimi's gone. There, is that enough reacting for you? Mimi's gone."

Speechlessly, Mark laid Jaylynn down on the couch and walked over to Roger. "Look, hey, no one's trying to get you to say or do anything. We just—we know it's hard, Roger."

"But do you really?"

Mark didn't know what to say to that. "No, I guess I honestly don't know."

"Okay."

"But what are you thinking?"

Roger sighed and slammed his hand down on the counter. "Hey, guess what Mark? Haven't gotten that far either." He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "The only time I get to see her is before I wake up."

"What do you mean?" Mark sat down on a barstool and rested his arms on the island counter.

"I know she's only been gone for a few hours—but if I fall asleep, only for a little while, or if I close my eyes, I see her face. Not too clearly or anything, but I see **her**. She's always there. And then I'm brought back to reality and she'll be there again—before I wake."

"Yeah. I get at what you're saying."

"I mean, she can never be brought back again, but she's there. In my dreams. Subconsciously."

"She'll always be there Roger. Always. I know you feel like a part of you is missing right now but—"

"No." Roger shook his head. "She'll always be there. She's not missing."

*                                                  *                                       *                                  *

_"This is your city, Roger."_

Mimi's funeral took place exactly five days later. When the autopsy came back, her official cause of death was from AIDS related complications as everyone had knew all along. She had just simply stopped breathing in her sleep. Her entire estranged family flew in from various parts of the world, as did Roger's family. Many words were said throughout the course of it, and afterwards, Thomas B. Collins told Roger there was a very bittersweet feeling left lingering in the air. 

After Mimi's death, the once close group of friends scattered a small bit.

Mark and Jackie's marriage was never quite whole again after Hannah's birth. Their fights became more frequent, as did their feelings towards the United States and Australia. Jackie found out she was pregnant a final time in late 2003, and their daughter Nicole was born in May. Although it was a short-lived happiness, Mark and Jackie Cohen separated in January of 2005 after roughly seven years of marriage. Their custody battle eventually ended up in court, with sole custody granted to Jackie but extended visitation rights accepted by Mark. However, Jackie decided to move back to Sydney that spring, and she took six year old Hannah and baby Nicole with her. Luke, by this time eight years old, decided to live with his father in New York City. Jackie and Mark rarely spoke the first two years after their separation, only in matters regarding their children. 

Jackie's ex boyfriend Josh eventually married in Los Angeles, and she never heard from him again.

Mark eventually worked his way up in rank (as everyone knew he would) and accepted the vice president's position at Static Film Productions. He made enough money to send Luke to a private school in downtown Manhattan. A few of his films did make it quite big on the independent scene. Jackie danced for three more years after her move with the Sydney Ballet, and eventually retired in late 2007 at the age of thirty-two, longer than she had ever expected. She accepted a position as a dance instructor and trained the upcoming dancers in the company, as well as choreographing major ballet productions. 

Luke grew up to be interested in soccer and was playing on recreational teams by the age of five. When he reached high school, he made varsity his freshman year, as well as participating in outside leagues. Never as much of a great student as his parents would have liked, he was granted an athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland his senior year. 

Hannah strayed away from ballet and instead joined gymnastics, which followed her throughout high school as well. Although she loved the sport, surfing was her first calling and she spent many days in the Pacific Ocean with her Uncle Shawn, perfecting her technique. Eventually she was involved in competitions and turned pro like she had ambitioned to be ever since she was little.

After spending a full year missing her father, Nicole moved back to the States around her twelfth birthday. She followed in her mother's footsteps and was enrolled in ballet classes by the age of three. 

*

Harvey and Maureen's daughter, Audrey, was born in late 2000. Although they had the opportunity to have more children, they both mutually decided that one was enough. Maureen returned to Broadway in the spring of 2001 and made quite a name out of herself. She was in a various number of productions and was eventually cast in a few Hollywood movies. In February of 2009, Maureen received an Academy Award for Best Actress. No one was quite surprised when they heard of this. After all, Maureen always had been the perfect candidate through her fits and protests not so very long ago. They too eventually relocated to Los Angeles—for Maureen's career and so Harvey could be closer to his parents. Harvey retired from dance a few years after Jackie did, and resumed a teaching position as well. 

Lisa (Mark's little sister) and Matt married in the spring of 2002, and had one more child besides Noah, a girl they named Melanie. They moved out of the apartment downstairs and into the Jersey suburbs.

Collins happily dated for the rest of his life, but never anything too serious after Angel and Dan. Her kept his teaching position at NYU, but eventually retired when he was no longer feeling up to it. Always the backbone of their "gang", Collins died in September of 2006 from complications.

Benny wasn't heard from that much after Mimi's death. In fact, no one was pretty sure what was up with their former landlord. It was rumored that he and Alison had moved to Connecticut, but nothing was confirmed.

Roger raised Jaylynn to the best of his ability for two years after Mimi's death. However, he had never quite been able to cope with her passing, and soon retreated into his old ways. For Jaylynn's benefit, Roger's mother stepped in and moved her to Scarsdale when she was five years old while Roger tried stint after stint with rehab. He wrote to Jaylynn every once in awhile, and tried to visit at least once a year, but soon enough those visits became few and far between. His daughter started growing up without his knowledge, and soon enough, it had been a good seven years since he had seen her last.

As you can see, the original friends did grow apart, as people eventually do. But everywhere they went, they were reminded of their experiences together and kept in touch as much as humanly possible.

 *                                   *                                       *                                        *

MARCH 2017

Mark cleared his throat and stared at Roger, Chris, and Jaylynn, who were all still gathered around the island. "So um, pretty much…I suppose that's it. That's about all I can really remember."

Roger drummed his fingers along the island, not meeting anyone's eyes. Jaylynn pulled her hand out of Chris' and stood up. She quickly grabbed her jacket and pulled it on, then opened the loft door and slammed it hard behind her.

"Hey, Jaylynn, wait—" Roger called after her. "Fuck."

"She does that a lot," Chris apologized. "Just give her a little bit. I mean, she just heard a lot of shit she never knew about. That's her way of coping with it. She'll be back."

"Well she probably just realized that he father is a fuck up who abandoned her. You sure she's coming back?"

*                                          *                                      *                                      *

That was the end of the past part of this story. We have now returned to where this story first opened.

Just a few notes:

Jaylynn and Chris are still together, but Jaylynn **does not** have HIV. I rewrote that detail and have been meaning to change it in the beginning but haven't gotten around to it.

Please review!!


	65. 65

CHAPTER 65

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers as always! Love you guys and glad you all are still with me for the chapters we have left. =]

*                          *                         *                      * 

MARCH 18th

12:20 PM

Jaylynn stormed out of her father's loft apartment, making sure to slam the door loudly behind her. Granted running away from the whole problem probably wasn't the best resolution, but there was no way in hell she was about to stay in there with all of them. She knew what she'd do. She'd pack up her things and get a late train back to DC, and if she couldn't get a train, she'd get a plane ticket back. _She didn't belong here_. Not with these—people, who at one time were supposed to be her family. Roger, fine, whatever. He was her biological father, but that didn't even mean shit anymore. And Mark! Mark, who sat there and preached to her for the past three hours as he told her everything that had happened, he was supposed to have been one of her legal guardians. Where the fuck had he been for the past twelve years of her life? **It wasn't fair**. None of this was. Nothing was making any sense. 

She ran down the stairs, and upon reaching the second floor, she slammed straight into a man with light blonde, spiky gelled hair. He had on black Adidas track pants and a Liverpool, England soccer tee shirt. A workout bag was slung over his shoulder, and he was carrying a pair of soccer cleats in the other. He looked to be about her age, or perhaps a little bit older. Jaylynn didn't even care that much. 

"Sorry." She looked up and shrugged. "I wasn't really watching where I was going."

"Yeah, I can see that," he joked. "You okay?"

"Um, sure. I'm not from around here. Sorry," Jaylynn apologized again. She took off down the rest of the stairs and then when she finally reached the pavement, she turned the corner sharply.

The man shook his head and continued up the final two flights of stairs. He stopped in front of apartment 4D and pushed the door opening, loudly dropping his bag onto the ground.

"Dad?" he called out. "Uncle Roger? Anyone home?"

"Yeah, in here!" Mark shouted over. "In the kitchen."

"God it's fucking hot in here. Uncle Roger, you trying to turn this place into a sauna or what?"

"Luke, do me a favor," Roger retorted, grinning.

"What?"

"Shut up."

Mark laughed and shook his head. Chris, Jaylynn's boyfriend, was still sitting uncomfortably in between Mark and Roger. "Chris, this is my son Luke. Luke, this is Chris."

"Chris who?" Luke walked over to the refridgerator and opened the carton of orange juice, taking a long sip straight. "Hey man."

"Just a friend of the family, I guess. Hey, I'm going to check on Jay. I'll be back." Chris stood up and grabbed his jacket as well.

"Yeah, sure," Mark acknowledged before the door shut.

Luke sat down on a barstool and glanced at his father. "Jay as in Jaylynn? Jaylynn Davis?"

"Yeah. My daughter," Roger answered. He started coughing and stood up. "I'm gonna go lay down. Wake me when she comes back, okay?"

Mark nodded and shot a glare at Luke when he opened his mouth to speak. "Don't say a word. You don't know anything about the situation."

"Didn't she leave her when I was like, five years old, or something?"

"She did. Just, wait. I'll explain later." Mark cleared his throat. "Wait until your mom gets home. How was practice?"

"Good. Rough. Lots of injuries. I got carded once."

"Again?" Mark laughed. 

"The refs are fucking stupid and they hate all the midfielders."

"When do they want you back in Liverpool?"

"Next Friday. Mom's mad."

"Why?"

"Because she wanted me to come back to Sydney with her for a few weeks. She's a bitch about it."

"Don't call your mom a bitch…" Mark sighed just as the door opened. 

"But—"

"Luke, drop it," he responded through gritted teeth. "Hey, Jackie."

"Hi, Mark." Jackie had walked in the door with their thirteen year old daughter, Nicole, who had just come from dance class. "Luke, when did you get home?"

"About five minutes ago. Hey kid Nicky."

Nicole made a face and dropped her dance bag near her older brother's soccer bag. "Why don't you just stay in England?"

"Nicole," Mark warned. He sighed and rubbed his temples. This was always how it was whenever he was around Jackie now. They would both attempt to make polite conversation, and their kids would bicker back and forth constantly. Especially Luke and Nicole. Then it would become an argument between himself and Jackie, and then usually Luke would get into it with Jackie as well. 

Mark still couldn't fathom how much his whole family situation had changed. Jackie was temporarily visiting the United States to see Nicole and Luke, and she was staying at Mark's apartment uptown while Mark stayed at the loft to be closer to Roger. It was more convienient to take him back and forth to his doctor's appointments this way, and if Roger ever needed anything, Mark was there instantly and not twenty minutes later. Luke had been signed to a British soccer team the past summer, Liverpool, and since then he had been flying back and forth from Liverpool and New York City. Jackie wasn't too happy with his decision to drop out of college, especially since he had gotten an athletic scholarship to attend in the first place. Mark however had supported Luke's decision and was paying for half of Luke's apartment in Liverpool, which was a constant source of argument between himself and Jackie. Mark knew that it was hard for her to live in Sydney with Hannah, have their nineteen year old son in England, and Nicole here in New York City with Mark. But what Jackie also didn't understand was that it was also hard for Mark. Neither parent got to see enough of their children.

Nicole's voice brought Mark back to reality. "What? He gets away with everything. You both let him do whatever he wants to."

"Sweetie, your brother lives in England—" Jackie started to explain.

"Blah blah blah and he plays soccer and he's so damn good at it. Whatever. I'm good at dance and I don't get to do half of what I want to."

"You're thirteen!" Luke laughed. "You think when I was thirteen I was allowed to do whatever I wanted to?"

Nicole ignored him and sat down roughly at the kitchen table next to her brother. "Just stop talking and go kick a soccer ball around."

"Honey—"

"Mom, stop it!" Nicole shouted at her. "Stop trying to parent us! Go home! You're never around anyway anymore!"

"Nicole, please…" Mark trailed off.

"Say something, Mark! Not just, please, thank you, do whatever you'd like! They're your goddamn kids too!" Jackie yelled out.

"I fucking know they're my goddamn kids too! What do you think, I sit here and don't give a shit about them! Lay off, Jackie, I'm tired of arguing about this!" Mark shouted back.

Luke grabbed Nicole's arm and pulled her out of the kitchen with him. "Everything okay with you?"

"Yeah. Just a bad day at dance."

"Oh." Luke nodded. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I got carded today."

"Again?" Nicole laughed. "What'd you do?"

"Got in someone's face and cursed them out, then tripped them afterwards?" he smiled sheepishly.

"Luke Tyler Cohen!" she giggled. "I gonna go to Emily's."

"Want me to take you?"

"Nope, I'll take a cab. Dad lets me do it all the time."

"Just be careful."

"I know. Hey, I didn't mean to say what I did before. Mom was just pissing me off on the way over here and I guess I took it out on you."

"Don't worry about it," Luke shrugged. "It happens. I'll see you later. You coming to England on spring break?"

"You mean I'm still invited?"

"As long as mom and dad let you, then yeah," he told her. "You can stay with me, come to practice with me, meet some of my friends. We can go to London and one weekend we'll take the Chunnel to Paris."

"Really? Awesome."

"Yeah." Luke yawned and punched his little sister playfully on her shoulder. "I'm out of here for awhile if they're still fighting so I'll walk you to the corner."

"Okay," Nicole agreed. "Let me get changed first."

*                                       *                                 *                                    *

2:45 PM

About an hour later, Luke had dropped Nicole off at her friend's apartment and was now out roaming the streets of the East Village. His parents had still been fighting when he had left, and if anything, it made him want to return to England even more. He was tired of dividing his time and attention between them. In reality, he was closer to his father than his mother, mostly because he had grown up in Manhattan with him. Now here he was, almost twenty years old, and still having to put up with their constant bullshit and fights.

Luke had almost decided to go back and hit the gym instead of walking around aimlessly, but spotted the same girl he had run into before sitting on a bench in Tompkins Square Park. She was smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke out into the cool late March air. _Jaylynn_. Luke hadn't seen her since she was around six years old. She had certainly grown up. They all had to sometime.

"Jaylynn."

He saw her jump and look over her shoulder at him when he called out her name. "How do you know my name?"

Luke walked over and stood in front of her, hands shoved in his track pants. "You don't remember me, do you?"

She laughed and ran a hand through her light brown curls. "Well, perfect strangers don't exactly come up to you in the middle of a park and call out your name, do they?"

"I guess not."

"Then I guess I might know you somehow," she answered him, crushing out her cigarette on the bench. Jaylynn studied the man in front of her. He was tall, a little over six foot, with blonde spiked hair and blue eyes. He was also very muscular with broad shoulders. It was just in the way he carried himself. She knew he had to be athletic or involved with sports somehow. "Who are you?"

"Luke Cohen?"

Jaylynn stared at him and covered her mouth. "Oh my god, I do remember you! Mark and Jackie's son, right?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "I didn't think you'd remember. After all, you said you weren't from around here…"

"Of course I remember you! I couldn't not remember you. It's just been…a really long time. Twelve years, or something like that." 

"Yeah it has."

They stood in silence for a minute or so until Jaylynn laughed and said something. "I can't believe it's really you. You—grew up, as stupid as that sounds. I just really remember you as little six year old Luke playing with me at the park."

"I remember you the same way."

Jaylynn covered her mouth and smiled. "So what have you been up to all these years?"

"Nothing big. My parents divorced when I was eight. I grew up here with Mark and Jackie moved back to Australia. Played a hell of a lot of soccer. Graduated high school, went to the University of Maryland for my freshman year and part of this year. In June I was offered a position as midfielder to play for England and now I live and train in Liverpool when I'm not here visiting."

"So you live in England, then? What about college?"

"I guess I dropped out?" he laughed. "But yeah, I live in Liverpool. I'm just here for a week to visit with my team. We're doing some promotional deal with the US teams. How have you been?"

"I've been okay. I moved to Scarsdale with my grandma and grew up there. Graduated high school and ending up going to college in DC. I came back here to make amends with my dad—Roger, whatever I'm supposed to call him. It's not easy."

"No, I guess it's not. You know that he's sick, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know he has AIDS? The doctors say he only has a few months left."

"Oh." Jaylynn dropped her eyes to her lap. "I didn't know that. I mean, I knew he was sick, but…I didn't know he didn't have much time left."

"Don't blame yourself for it, or anything. You couldn't have known."

"He wasn't involved in my life."

"He didn't mean not to be."

Jaylynn stood up and shrugged. "How would you know?"

"I've grown up around him my entire life. I know how he is. He didn't mean to abandon you, Jaylynn. He just couldn't deal with anything going on around him."

"That's not a good excuse."

"It's going to have to be," Luke defended.

"Well it's not." She raised her voice and shoved her hands into her jacket pocket. "At least you had a real father and mother. I can't say I knew either of them."

With that said, Jaylynn walked away from the park, leaving Luke in her tracks.

*                                         *                                        *                                *

9:30 PM

The loft had remained generally quiet for the rest of the day and night. Roger and Jaylynn had been careful to avoid each other without many words being said, although that hadn't been very hard, since Roger had slept for the majority of the day. Jackie and Nicole had left to spend the night at Mark's apartment uptown, and Chris had went to stay at a hotel to give Jaylynn and her family some space. Speaking of Chris, his marriage proposal the night before was still swimming through her head slowly. She hadn't had much time to even consider it, let alone allow it to sink in. Jaylynn knew she'd have to give her boyfriend some sort of answer sometime soon. 

Mark had disappeared off to his office right after dinner, and every so often Jaylynn could hear him on the phone or typing away on his computer. Roger's soft snores and the drone of his television passed through the walls, and Luke was still sitting on the couch watching some sort of European soccer game. Jaylynn sat on the edge of the bathtub and rested her head against the wall. She couldn't even remember how long she had been sitting in here. Long enough, probably. She quickly shed her robe and pulled on a pair of tiny boxer shorts and a gray tee shirt before pulling her damp hair up into a ponytail. She glanced at herself quickly in the mirror and bit her lip. Maybe she really **should** go home.

A knock at the bathroom door shook her out of her thoughts and Jaylynn jumped a little bit.

"Jaylynn?" Luke's voice floated through the door and into the bathroom. "You okay in there?"

"I'm fine." Jaylynn tried to steady her voice to make her sound more sure of herself, but it wasn't working at all. "Long shower."

"Okay."

She reached for the door handle and unlocked it, coming face to face with Luke. "Sorry."

"I was just worried about you."

"I'm okay. Really." There she went, trying to convince herself again.

"I think I'm going to bed. I've got to me up with the guys early in the morning for practice and then we're scrimmaging against another team here."

"Sounds fun," she smiled. "Hey, I just wanted to apologize for sort of blowing up at you before. I didn't meant to take it out on you."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I probably deserved it," he laughed. "Where are you sleeping?"

"I guess on the couch? Mark's still in his office and I don't really want to bother him."

"You can sleep in my bed and I'll take the couch," Luke offered. "It's not really my bed anyway, it's the guest bedroom next door in the connected apartment."

"That's a moutful," she laughed. "I don't want to make you sleep on the couch. I'll share it with you, if you don't mind or anything."

"Nah, I don't really care. It's not every day I get a beautiful girl to sleep in my bed."

Jaylynn shook her head and followed him into the other aparment. "I think you're lying."

"Maybe a little bit," he grinned. 

Jaylynn crawled into the bed and stretched out onto her back. "You're really serious about soccer, then?"

"There's nothing I like to do better. I guess besides having sex and sleeping, that is."

"Ew," she laughed. "That's a great thought to fall asleep on."

He laid next to her and turned off the light. "Night," he yawned. "I'm glad I got to see you again."

"Yeah, me too," she smiled, turning over onto her side away from Luke. "Night."

*                                    *                                   *                                  *

Please review!!


	66. 66

CHAPTER 66

A/N: Wow, it's been a long time. I've been busy with a lot of last minute school things, and haven't really had the time or the interest in updating this fic. I've considered discontinuing it, but that's really up to you guys (the reviewers) and based on how much feedback I get after I post this chapter. I'm not trying to make this sound like a guilt trip, but in the two months that I've been gone, the category has been taken over by a lot of new authors, so I'd understand the reasoning behind the lack of interest in this fic.

I am **probably** going to start a new Roger/Mimi fic sometime within the next week or so. It will be different and relatively short—possibly a maximum twenty chapters, depending on how into it I am.

Well with that said, enjoy! Not too many chapters left. As a reminder:

Jackie and Mark have been divorced for twelve years. Jackie has custody of seventeen-year-old Hannah, and they reside in Sydney, Australia. Mark has custody of nineteen-year-old Luke (who lives in Liverpool, England) and thirteen year old Nicole.

Roger has been estranged from Jaylynn since she was six years old. He is currently battling end-stage AIDS and has about six months left to live.

Maureen, Harvey, and their daughter Audrey (who is sixteen) live in Los Angeles, California.

* * *

_March 20th, 2017_

In the handful of days Jaylynn had been in New York City, she hadn't managed to have a civilized conversation with Roger once. Even though now she knew everything about her past that there was to know, she still felt a lot of betrayal and resentment towards him that no amount of talking could ever resolve.

Luke was leaving in two days to head back to Liverpool with his soccer team and wouldn't be back in Manhattan to visit until mid June. Jaylynn had spent most of her time with him, much to her boyfriend Chris' dislike. Luke figured that the reasoning behind Jaylynn clinging to him was because Luke sadly knew Roger more than Jaylynn did. Luke had grown up with Uncle Roger over the years, and Jaylynn just…hadn't.

Jackie and Nicole returned to Sydney, much to Mark's distaste. Nicole had protested, saying she wanted to stay in Manhattan to learn more about Jaylynn, but Jackie had refused, taking her back to Australia for three weeks so Nicole could see her mother's parents and her older sister, Hannah.

Mark had taken Roger to his doctor's appointment, and like expected, Roger was getting progressively worse with not much the doctor's could do to help him.

* * *

"So…like this?"

Luke came up behind Jaylynn and moved her foot into a better position. "More like that. Now go. Kick it."

Jaylynn faked a sense of concentration and kicked the ball. It missed the goal completely and from the awkward position, she tipped over and lost her balance, laughing as she landed on the ground. "I told you I suck. I think I just better stick with dance and gymnastics."

Luke laid down in the grass next to her on his back, throwing a spare soccer ball up into the air and catching it. "You really do suck. I think my little sister is better than you are."

"Oh excuse me, not everyone can be a hot shot soccer superstar like yourself, Luke Cohen."

"Nah, they can only wish. Come on. Let's do it again." Luke hovered over her and grabbed her hands, pulling Jaylynn to her feet.

"You can do it again. I think I'll just…watch." She took off in a jog away from the field and Luke dropped the ball, jogging after her. They pretended to mock chase each other around the park, not spotting Mark and Roger heading towards the soccer field.

"What do you think of that?" Mark asked, grinning at Roger as they headed slowly towards the field. They had been out walking around, partly because Mark insisted, and the other part because Roger thought it was nice enough out.

"Think of what? Like that or **like that**?" Roger laughed, only pausing once to cough.

"Let's not go any farther than that, okay? I really don't want to think about my son having a better sex life than I do right now."

"I don't even have a sex life at the current moment so that's gotta boost your self esteem some how."

"Actually," Mark laughed. "Yeah, it does. The great Roger Davis has no one to bed for once. Shocking."

"Hey, at least I don't have to use Viagra." Roger moved out of the way slightly, just in case Mark was about to hit him on the shoulder.

"I don't use Viagra," Mark responded through gritted teeth.

"You're forty-five years old."

"So? You're forty-six, old man," Mark joked. "Can we change the topic?"

"Sure. So at what age are you planning on using Viagra?" Roger laughed, eyeing how mad Mark was getting. "Okay, okay. Next topic."

"When did we get so old?"

"What do you mean?"

Mark kicked at the soccer ball that Jaylynn had kicked out of bounds minutes beforehand. "Just yesterday you threw me that surprise fortieth birthday party. All my kids were still under eighteen. Now Luke's heading towards twenty, Hannah just turned seventeen last month, and Nicole's fourteen in May."

"Yeah, fourteen going on thirty-five," Roger joked. "She can't wait until she's eighteen. Remember when Luke wanted his first tattoo? How old was he?"

"Almost fifteen."

"And when did he get it?"

"Fifteen," Mark grumbled. "But I had no say in that. I was outnumbered."

"Yeah, and then after one there were how many more?"

Mark laughed. "Two more that I know of."

"Hey Luke! How many tattoos do you have now?" Roger called out. Luke and Jaylynn looked up, and Luke sent a soccer ball flying in Mark's direction.

"Four!"

"What?" Mark shouted. "I thought you had two!"

Luke jogged over to his dad and uncle, carrying Jaylynn on his back. "Yeah, I have four. The three I got here, and the one I got done in England."

"And where are all of these tattoos?" Mark questioned in a fatherly tone.

"One on each bicep, another one my ankle, and one underneath my right shoulder. Why?"

"Just…don't get any more."

"Okay Dad," Luke laughed. "Jaylynn and I are going to get something to eat. You guys want to come with?"

"Nah, you two go," Roger said. "Mark and I are just talking about how old we are."

Jaylynn laughed and smiled. "Mark looks older."

"Hey!"

"Only a true offspring of a Davis would say that," Roger smiled proudly. "Hey Jaylynn, when you get back I want to show you something, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Jaylynn agreed. She squealed as Luke picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder upside down. "See you guys later!"

* * *

About forty minutes and one stop back at the loft later, Jaylynn and Luke were sitting in a small pizza place near Central Park. Both had gotten their slices of pizza, although Luke had long since been finished with his two slices and Jaylynn was still eating her first.

"So what's England like?"

Luke shrugged and started playing with the saltshaker. "Not that much different from here. People are more polite. Rains more than it does here, but not all the time. People drive on a different side of the road…"

Jaylynn smacked his arm and laughed. "Thanks for telling me everything I already knew. I was kind of thinking about going there soon."

Luke's face lit up and he smiled. "You should. You could stay at my flat. It would be great. I'd get to show you around."

"So now, besides soccer extraordinaire, you're my tour guide too?"

"Sure," he grinned. "So what's up with you and your boyfriend, Chris?"

"Oh…" Jaylynn looked down and started playing with her napkin. "We broke up."

"Why? If you don't mind me asking, or anything."

"No, it's fine. Um, I guess we were just different in a lot of ways. He wanted to have fun all the time, and I kind of needed to be alone sometimes. Plus, it didn't help any that he proposed and I turned him down."

"Whoa, he asked you to marry him? How old is he?"

"My age."

"He's nineteen?"

"Just turned twenty, yea."

"And he wants to get married?"

"I guess." All this talk about Chris was starting to make her uncomfortable. "We dated for about a year and a half. What about you? Have anyone waiting in England?"

Luke shook his head. "I've dated there, but never anything serious."

"Oh. So when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow night. When are you leaving?"

"Whenever I get this thing solved with Roger." Jaylynn sipped her soda. "When are you coming back to Manhattan?"

"Probably sometime in June. Maybe. I might go to Australia instead. See my mom and sister."

"Yeah."

"It's not as bad as you think, you know. Talking to Roger. He probably doesn't know how he's supposed to talk to you either," Luke added. "He's missed a whole chunk of your life. Not intentionally. He really loved your mom a lot."

"Yeah. Everyone says I look like her."

Luke nodded. "From the pictures I've seen, yeah, you do. Your hair is a lot lighter and you have Roger's skin tone, but you have her eyes. You're tiny, just like her. I think that's why it's so hard for Roger to talk to you. It's almost like talking to Mimi herself. She's been gone for seventeen years and that's something you never really get over."

"Did the doctors say…how much time he has left?" Jaylynn questioned, twirling a piece of hair around her finger.

"Three months. Six months. A year, maybe. They don't know. They say that he shouldn't have lived this long, that he should have been dead years ago. It's sort of a miracle, I guess."

"Yeah." She looked out the window on the busy New York street. "I know what you mean."

* * *

It wasn't until later that night, after Jaylynn had showered and disappeared into the guest bedroom that she found a strange box sitting on the bed. It was cardboard, and had her name scrawled on it in very feminine handwriting.

Carefully, she lifted the box into her lap and picked up the white envelope lying next to it. It read:

_Jaylynn Angela,_

_In this box are letters and pictures of you, your mother, and myself in happier times, seventeen years ago. Also, there are pictures from before you were born and some things that your mother wanted you to have. I should have given this to you a long time ago, but maybe it was better to understand. I hope that from sorting through this box you'll understand a little more of the reasoning behind why I wasn't around when you were growing up. Still, I understand if you don't want to talk to me. I probably wouldn't want to talk to me, either, because I know how much of a stubborn, self-centered pain in the ass I can be. _

_If you want, can we go out to breakfast in the morning? I think we need to talk before it's too late._

_Love,_

_Roger_

Jaylynn set Roger's letter aside and grabbed a stack of rubber-banded envelopes out of the box. There must have been about ten or twelve of them—and they were all addressed to her.

But they weren't from Roger.

They were from Mimi.

Reviews would be awesome! Only a few more chapters to go!


	67. 67

A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. We're coming to a close, and this is one of the final chapters. Enjoy, and don't forget to review.

67.

_March 30, 2017_

At first, Jaylynn didn't want to open the letters addressed to her from Mimi. But as the days passed, she ended up never going to breakfast with Roger, but instead, slowing getting to know him. She was starting to feel more comfortable around her father, and late one night, towards the beginning of April, she started reading each and every one of the letters that were appropriate for the time and date. The ones she left unopened were for things that hadn't happened to her yet, like her engagement, her wedding, and her first baby, along with other things.

It had been hard, and by now Jaylynn had long since curled up in the guest room, sipping a cup of hot chocolate and taking the time to carefully read the letters. She had already completeld the early childhood ones, and had now moved on to the teenage years.

_Dear Jaylynn,_

_Today you've started high school! I bet things have changed since I graduated in 1995. I bet you and all of your girl friends spent the night before staying up and doing your hair for hours and talking about your latest crush. I remember those days really well. I'm sure you look beautiful, but if you've got my curly hair, remember that gel is your friend._

_Make new friends, and keep the old. _

_Love,_

_Mom_

* * *

_Dear Jaylynn,_

_Today is your sweet sixteen! I hope your father or Uncle Mark threw you a huge party that lasted into all hours of the night. I hope all your friends came and you danced your hearts out. Did you take lots of pictures? I'm sure you'll cherish them for a long time to come. Just don't let your Dad or Uncle Mark…or especially Aunt Maureen get near the punch bowl and wine coolers for too long!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

* * *

_Dear Jaylynn,_

_Tonight you've gone to prom…and then you'll be off to prom weekend! I know you looked gorgoues, your dress was fabulous, and your date was good looking and a nice guy. You took your pictures, danced to the slow songs, and shared good times with your friends. Did your corsage wilt after an hour? I know mine did, and my boyfriend at the time kept it refidgeraterd the whole day before. I'm sure your father was so proud of you._

_Have a good weekend honey and be careful._

_Love,_

_Mom_

* * *

_Dear Jaylynn,_

_So today you've graduated high school! Wow, how does it feel? I remember when I graduated high school. I hated my cap and gown because it was two sizes too big and there was no time to return it. I guess you can say I was pretty tiny, only about five foot one and ninety five pounds. Your dad used to tease me all the time about my height, always calling me the midget and little Meems. Hopefully, you've inherited his height genes are a few inches taller then I am. _

_Did you get anything good for graduation? I hope your dad or grandparents got you that car you wanted, or laptop, or something! I wish I could be there to see it. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I' love you._

_I bet Mark has a camera shoved in your face right now. Smile pretty!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

* * *

She dropped the last letter with a sniffle and curled up against the pillow, cradling the coffee mug in her hands. Jaylynn didn't know what to do, where to go, or who to turn to, but she figured that it wasn't too late, and that Roger was more than a viable option right now.

Quickly, she stood up and padded along the wood floor in her socks, opening the bedroom door silently. She heard Mark snoring from the couch, television still on for the night. She continued tiptoeing down the hall and opened the door to Roger's bedroom silently. There were no lights on in the room, and the television was showing a VH1 documentary of sorts. He didn't appear to be asleep, but didn't seem to be too awake either.

"Dad," Jaylynn whispered, wrapping her arms around her chest. He didn't answer, so she walked a little bit closer and leaned slighty on the edge of the bed. Roger was lying on his side, an old afghan covering his tired body, but still, he made no intention of waking up. "Dad? Roger. Dad?"

Roger blinked slowly and sat up, coughing heavily. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I just wanted to let you know that I read the letters."

_There's two things I know for sure_

_She was sent here from heaven, and she's Daddy's little girl_

He nodded and dropped his eyes to the bedspread. "Do you understand, a little better now?"

Jaylynn nodded. "I think so."

"Okay. Good."

"Well anyway, good night." She turned around and walked back towards the door.

"Jay, wait."

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted you to know…that I've made some pretty fucked up mistakes in my life, but you were never one of them. You were the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Then why did you let me go?"

Roger shook his head. "I don't know why. But there's nothing I can do to change that. Maybe you reminded me of your mother and it hurt too much to look at you and go on living. I didn't have a grip on reality. But I do now."

"But it's too late now. You're dying," Jaylynn whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. "And then I have no one. All my life I held onto the memory of you as I grew up. I won't even have that anymore. I'll forget what you look like. I'm forgetting you already."

"I won't forget you," Roger told her, coughing again. "I never did."

_Butterfly kisses, after bedtime prayer_

_Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair_

_'Walk beside the pony Daddy, it's my first ride.'_

_'I know the cake looks funny Daddy, but I sure tried.'_

Jaylynn nodded. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "I'm having a hard time catching my breath. Wake Mark up, okay? I might have to go to the hospital and get another breathing treatment."

She ran out of the room, her heart beating fast in her chest. "Mark? Uncle Mark?"

Mark sat up on the couch and reached over to the coffee table for his glasses. "Yeah? What's wrong, Jaylynn? Shit, did I fall asleep on the damn couch again? I swear, I'm getting so old," he laughed. "Jaylynn?"

"It's Da--Roger. He says he can't catch his breath."

"Okay. This happens sometimes. He just needs to get a breathing treatment at the hospital. Get my keys off the counter and warm the car up. I'll go help him out of bed and meet you downstairs."

* * *

_1:45 AM_

_She's lookin' like her mama a little more every day_

_ One part woman, the other part girl_

_To perfume and makeup, from ribbons and curls_

__

_'You know how much I love you, Daddy, but if you don't mind,_

_I'm only going to kiss you on the cheek this time.'_

_With all that I've done wrong I must have done something right…_

_To deserve a hug in the morning, and butterfly kisses at night._

Jaylynn rested her head against the wall of the waiting room, moving the coffee cup around from hand to hand. It had been an hour and a half since they had arrived in the emergency room, and she hadn't heard anything from Mark or any of the doctors since then.

Taking a sip of the coffee, she glanced up and saw Mark finally striding towards her. She stood up and smoothed down the wrinkle out of her shirt. "Do they know anything yet?"

"It's um…they say eighty percent of his lungs are filled with fluid right now. The breathing treatments aren't working, and neither are the medications that he's been on for the past few months or the ones they're giving to him right now."

"So what does that mean?" Jaylynn asked, her voice rising slightly. She felt a lump form in her throat, and she didn't know exactly why it was there, but it wouldn't go away.

"They're going to move him to a private room. I called Luke in Liverpool and he should be on the next flight to New York right now. Actually, he's probably in the air already. Jackie, Hannah, and Nicole are leaving for the airport in Sydney. Harvey, Maureen, and their daughter are leaving for the airport too. Roger's parents, your grandparents, are driving up from Baltimore—"

"Mark, shut up!" Jaylynn shouted at him. "What does that mean? Is he dying tonight?"

Mark sighed. "He's been dying all along."

_All the precise time_

_Like the wind, the years go by_

"Is this the end?"

He nodded, slowly at first. "I think so. I've been prepared for this for twenty years. But now that's it's here, I'm not ready. You're never ready."

* * *

We're almost finished now, just about another chapter and an epilogue to go. Thanks for sticking with me this far, and reviews would be appreciated greatly. =]

Lyrics are from 'Butterfly Kisses' by Bob Carlisle.


	68. 68

_[Thank you for the reviews.]_

68.

* * *

_March 31, 2017_

_ 9 AM_

Jaylynn leaned up against the door. Somehow, in all the commotion, she had backed herself into a corner that was isolated from everyone else. For the last seven and a half hours, she had stood somewhere around there, excusing herself only to use the bathroom or to get another cup of coffee from the cafeteria.

All around her, people had come and gone. Roger's mother and stepfather (her grandparents) had arrived at four-thirty in the morning from Scarsdale with Roger's younger brother, forty-one year old Joey. Even though they were now in their mid-seventies, Sandra and Jerry had arrived even before any other of Roger's siblings had. Roger's fifty-year-old brother Jimmy and his wife Kim had driven in from Trenton, without their four grown children. Although Roger's once close relationship with his forty-seven year old sister Lindsey had diminished over the years, she and her twenty-three year old daughter Marissa had flown in from Miami and had arrived at the hospital around six. The only member of Roger's family absent was Heather, the youngest Davis child. At thirty-nine, she and her brother had never been on good terms since high school, and she hadn't seen Roger in over twenty years and had never met Jaylynn or Mimi. She was living in Italy with her husband and two children.

Jackie, Hannah, and Nicole were due to arrive sometime in the early evening. Mark had just left to pick up Harvey, Maureen, and their daughter, sixteen-year-old Audrey, from the airport.

Luke had gotten to the hospital about fifteen minutes beforehand. Jaylynn had seen him come in and greet everyone, but she kept out of view. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Instead, she disappeared into her father's room.

Roger had been moved to a private room early that morning, around three. Since then, the hospital staff had been trying to do their best to accommodate visiting hours, but it was near impossible, seeing as so many relatives and friends had shown up. Members of Roger's band, people that he had worked with through the years…it was overwhelming.

The room was dim, and the television had been muted. Various machines were beeping and whirring, and Roger appeared to be sleeping. An IV was set on a slow drip, and Jaylynn had to carefully move around it before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Dad?"

He opened his eyes slowly, lifting his left arm off of the bed in somewhat of a greeting. The doctors had told her that he would be drowsy from the medication they had been giving him and not to expect too much from him conversation wise. "Hey."

"Everyone's outside. It's crazy."

"I know."

"How do you feel?"

"Not so good. How about you?"

"Okay."

He coughed and motioned to a corner of the room. "Can you do something for me?"

Jaylynn nodded, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. "Anything."

"Can you…bring me my guitar?"

She stared at him, not quite sure if she heard him right. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I want to play you something. I don't think I ever have, not since you were two years old, and I want to play you something."

"Okay," she agreed. She didn't even know who had brought Roger's guitar to the hospital room as she carefully lifted the beloved Fender out of its case. Jaylynn gripped it tightly and brought it to him, watching as Roger propped himself up.

"Can you get one of the guitar picks too?"

Jaylynn nodded and returned just as quickly. She watched carefully as Roger tuned the guitar somewhat and strummed a few chords, his fingers and the strings synchronizing as one. "People said you were always very good. They said that you were somewhat famous, had a band, on a record label, used to play underground shows."

"People talk," he smirked. "Always will. I published a few songs. My band put out a few CDs. I've been invited to the Grammys. People always talk."

"Is that why there's so many people outside?"

He nodded. "Could be. I'm on my deathbed. It makes a good headline. 'Ex-musician Davis sings daughter one song before he goes'. Catchy."

Jaylynn smiled. At least he still had a sense of humor. "What are you going to play?"

"I used to sing—your mother used to sing a lullaby to you when you were little. I'm trying to remember the words. You want to sit? Lay? Whatever?"

"Sure." Jaylynn lay down on her side and propped up on her elbow, watching as Roger started to play the opening chords and began to sing.

_Goodnight, my angel_

_Time to close your eyes_

_And save these questions for another day_

_I think I know what you've been asking me_

_I think you know what I've been trying to say_

She watched, almost mesmerized. Roger was very good. He had a talent that not many people had. No wonder so many people had come to say their goodbyes.

_I promised I would never leave you_

_And you should always know_

_Wherever you may go_

_No matter where you are_

_I never will be far…away_

__

_Goodnight, my angel_

_Now it's time to sleep_

_And still so many things I want to say_

_Deep inside this ancient heart_

_You'll always be a part of me_

_Goodnight, my angel_

_Now it's time to dream_

_And dream how wonderful your life will be_

_Someday your child may cry_

_And if you sing this lullaby_

_Then in your heart_

_There will always be a part of me_

__

He never looked over at her as he continued playing on, but Jaylynn didn't want him to. The tears had started down her face now. Maybe if she had tried to find him a little sooner, maybe if she had asked more questions. Maybe she would have gotten to know her father a little better. Jaylynn thought it would be easier, saying goodbye to someone she barely knew. But it wasn't. It wasn't at all.

_Someday we'll all be gone_

_But lullabies go on and on_

_They never die and that's how_

_You _

_And I_

_Will be …_

"That was—"

Roger shook his head. "Don't say anything." He handed her his Fender and she placed it back in its case. "I want you to keep it. Maybe one day you can learn to play it."

"Thanks."

"Did you want to…stay for a little while? I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want to…go alone."

Jaylynn nodded. "Okay." She rested her head against his shoulder and felt his left arm rest loosely against her hip. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Everything."

"I don't think I have a right to say this, but I love you, Jaylynn."

"You have every right. You're my father."

"I wasn't around."

"You are now."

"Not for long," he smirked. "But thanks for trying to make me feel better."

"Well you were around for what counted."

"I'm glad." He shut his eyes, and in those final moments, Jaylynn saw a smile form on his lips. "Just don't name any of your future children after me. I hated my name."

"I think I can promise that."

He nodded, on the edge of sleep. "_This is your city, Jaylynn_."

* * *

Roger died several minutes later, peacefully in his sleep. He was forty-six years old, and had lived a life nothing short of what doctors called 'a miracle'.

* * *

Jaylynn perched on the edge of the hospital bench, taking a long drag of her cigarette. She watched the smoke mist away gently in the sunshine, almost if it had somewhere vaguely important to go.

"I didn't know you were a smoker."

She turned around and watched as Luke approached her, having just exited the emergency room revolving doors. "Nervous habit."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jaylynn laughed and flicked the ashes off the end of the cigarette. "About my smoking habits?"

"No. You know what I mean."

"No, not really."

"I'm not going to be around for the funeral," he explained, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I have to fly out in two days for a tournament."

"Neither will I."

"You can't, or you won't stay?"

She reclipped her medium length curly hair and shrugged. "Don't want to."

"You're going back to college?"

"Yeah. I guess so. Spring break was over a week and a half ago." Jaylynn dropped her cigarette on the sidewalk and crushed it out. "Do you think he did everything he wanted to do? Fulfilled his life, or whatever?"

Luke shrugged. "I guess we'll never know. But yeah, I think he did. He got to see you. I think that's the happiest I ever saw him, those few weeks, getting to know you all over again. It was almost like he was living through you."

"He gave me his guitar," she smiled. "What the hell am I going to do with a guitar?"

"Learn to play it?" Luke laughed. "Maybe. Sell it. You'd get a lot of money for it, that's for sure."

"I probably won't ever see you again," Jaylynn added. "Liverpool's not exactly driving distance."

"I'll visit."

"I won't get my hopes up," she smiled sadly.

"I'll miss you," Luke added in an attempt to stop her from walking away.

She turned around and threw her head back, staring up at the sky. "You don't even know me!"

"I know enough from our conversations. I know that you're scared, and you feel alone. That you're afraid of commitment and smoke when you feel you have no way out. I know that you used to take dance and that your eyes sparkle when you laugh. When you're angry, you have the fucking worst temper possible, even worse than mine or Roger's put together. You want to go away and forget that you never even met him, but you can't. You're not as good of an actress as you may think."

Jaylynn laughed and dropped her arms down to her sides. "Really? You think you know me so well? Consider yourself lucky that you had a father and a mother who cared about you growing up. Because I had neither."

"You forget that my mother took off and I barely saw her once a year."

"My mother died when I was barely three years old!" she shouted at him. "Do you really want to stand outside here and compare how shitty our whole lives have been?"

"No, but I want you to know that I think you're beautiful, and that you don't have to be alone anymore. Because I won't let you run away like you're about to without a fight."

She stared at him and watched as he walked closer to her. "Are you crazy, or something?"

"Maybe a little bit. If you're going to turn me down, you can at least let a guy know," Luke smirked at her. "I can go back to England knowing where I stand."

"I'm tired of running away."

"With me you won't have to run. I understand. I get it, because I've lived through it too."

Jaylynn rested her head against Luke's chest, closing her eyes as he kissed her forehead softly. "Thank you." She lifted her head up slowly and their lips met, and for the first time in all of her nineteen years, Jaylynn felt the love that she had been missing all along—in Roger, Luke, Mark, and Mimi.

"He'll always been there, Jay. He's not missing any longer."

* * *

Lyrics borrowed/credited to Billy Joel's "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)".

That was the final **long** chapter of _Before You Wake. _The **epilogue **will be posted shortly, by the weekend.

Well, it's been a hell of a long journey, but I won't do my goodbyes and thank yous just yet. I'll save that for the final author's note in the epilogue. =]

Reviews, as always, are appreciated, and remember, we have one more short chapter/epilogue to go.

3, Mari


	69. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

__

* * *

**December 2025**

"Fashionably late again, Luke?"

"Never too late to miss Dad's holiday party, Aunt Mo!" Luke slammed the driver's side door of the rental SUV and moved to the backseat. "Our flight was delayed."

Jaylynn laughed and shook her head as she stepped out of the passenger's side. "He was out partying with the team late last night again. I had to drag him onto the plane."

"Funny," Luke shot back.

Maureen chuckled and shook her head, coming down the driveway. She kissed Jaylynn on the cheek and smiled widely as their son, five year old Tyler, hopped out of the seat with his father's help. "Hey little man."

"Hi!" Tyler kicked at the ground with the toe of his sneaker. He then tugged on his father's leg. "Where's grandpa?"

"Inside," Jaylynn told him. She grabbed her purse out of the car and took the keys from Luka to set the alarm.

Tyler dashed away from their small group and ran up the front lawn at top speed. Luke laughed and jogged after him. He scooped him up and rested him on his shoulders before disappearing inside.

"It's really great to see you. How's England?" Maureen tucked a strand of her straight dark brown hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her jacket.

"Great," Jaylynn smiled. "We just bought a house in Manchester this past summer. It's good for us because Luke doesn't have to commute that far anymore to train, and it's good for Tyler because it has a great school system. His first year term has been great so far. He's on winter break right now until January."

"Public or private school?"

"Public. Luke and I are against sending him to boarding school. We decided that's definitely not for us or for any of our children."

Maureen nodded. "That's exactly how Harvey and I felt when we were raising Audrey. We had some many opportunities to send her to a boarding school but felt that she'd be better off at a private school in Los Angeles. That way she could still live at home."

"How's she doing now?"

"Good," Maureen smiled. "She'll be twenty-five in February. Not married yet, but she's seeing this wonderful guy named Trevor. He's in the Navy. But anyway, enough about me, how are you feeling? With everything?"

Jaylynn blushed and shrugged. "Things are going pretty well. Only four more months to go."

"Is Tyler excited about having a little brother or sister?"

"He hasn't really said much about it, but I guess he is." They reached the front door, but before they walked in, Jaylynn turned around and smiled. "How was your birthday last month?"

"Oh honey, I'm fifty-two." Maureen lowered her voice to a whisper. "But I partied all night!"

* * *

"So, before we sit down to eat, I'd like to congratulate my son on being named European Player of the Year," Mark smiled. "Because I'm glad to know I didn't send him to Liverpool and use half of my retirement pension in the process for nothing!"

Everyone laughed and clapped in the spacious living room, raising their wine glasses and beer bottles alike. Mark's holiday parties had become somewhat of a tradition over the past five years, ever since he purchased the house in West Hampton, Long Island. He had retired from SFP four year before at the age of fifty after twenty-four long years and many great achievements.

Besides selling the loft in 2018, Mark also remarried in October of that year. His second wife of seven years, Sarah, was outgoing and energetic and also seventeen years Mark's junior at the age of thirty-seven. Their two children, six year old daughter Grace and two year old son Cody kept Mark young at heart, even though he was quickly approaching his fifty-fifth birthday in February.

Although he had kept his relationship on civil terms with Jackie for the sake of their three grown children, Mark was surprised when she too had flown up for Sydney for the holidays with her husband, Billy. Jackie had remarried years ago, even before Mark had, but never had any other children.

Mark was also happy that all three of his grown children had made it to Long Island for the holidays. Twenty-eight year old Luke had flown in from Liverpool with Jaylynn and their five-year-old son, Tyler. Twenty-five year old Hannah had flown in from Sydney with her husband Bobby and one year old daughter Mackenzie. Twenty-one year old Nicole had driven down from Boston with her boyfriend, where she was finishing up her senior year at Boston University.

All the names and faces were hard to keep track of at times, but Mark was happy to have his extended family with him. He was glad that now they could all be civil towards one another, and was glad that his three older children were getting along quite nicely with Sarah and their two younger step-siblings.

"Okay, Dad, let's eat," Luke laughed, hugging Jaylynn loosely around the waist. "My wife is eating for two!"

"I got a little brother or sister comin'!" Tyler shouted.

Everyone 'aww-ed' at this and continued on into the dining room, except Mark.

"Jaylynn, can you come here for a minute?"

"Sure, Grandpa," she smiled, watching as her husband and son went ahead into the dining room.

Mark laughed and quickly cleaned his glasses on the edge of his shirt. "It's good to see you."

She smiled and glanced up at the pictures displayed on the mantle of the fireplace. "God, you two looked so young here. How old were you?"

Mark took the picture down from the mantle and scanned it with his eyes. Jaylynn was right—they did look young. If he remembered correctly, the picture had been taken the summer before Roger had met April. "Oh, I don't know. Twenty-three or twenty-four. Roger had just told this obnoxious joke and I guess Collins caught us in mid laugh when he took the picture."

She smiled and took the picture from him. "I miss him."

"So do I. Every day. Sometimes I come home with the kids and Sarah's making dinner and I'll smell something that reminds me of him. It's funny how you associate so many things with people. Or I'll be driving and a song that he used to listen to years ago will come on the radio—or better yet, an old single of his band's. When I hear something funny or stupid, something I knew his sense of humor would have appreciated it, it's hard."

"Have you talked about him with Sarah?"

Mark shook his head. "Not often. All she knows is that he was my best friend and that he died. She doesn't press the issue. I guess I feel like that chapter of my life is now closed. Look at it this way, Jay. Maureen and I…we're the only ones left out of our original gang. Christ, Mimi has been gone for twenty-five years. Collins for seventeen. Your father for eight now. It doesn't feel right to talk to someone about our lives, what we've done, what happened to us some thirty years ago unless that person was right along there with us—feeling the emotion, knowing what we had to go through. I love Sarah, but she understands. And that's the way it has to be, for now at least."

She reached out and set the picture back on the mantle. "But you told me eight years ago."

"I had to. Roger and I, we owed it to you. You were his daughter."

"She's pretty," Jaylynn smiled.

"Who? Mark questioned, resting his hands in the pockets of his khaki pants.

"Sarah. She's got this, I don't know, this aura about her that makes you want to just be around her."

He nodded. "Yeah, she's great. The kids are great. Everything worked out in the end."

"Does it feel weird? Having your older children and younger children separated by so many years?"

Mark chuckled and nodded. "Sometimes it does. Especially when I have one of the girls on the phone telling me about their husband or boyfriend. The other day I sent off Mackenzie's first birthday present to Hannah. And that afterwards I told Sarah how strange it was that I was sending off my **grandchild's** present when Cody, my own **child**, had celebrated his first birthday a year ago."

Jaylynn laughed. "You're not the first older parent and grandparent."

He nodded. "What depresses me a little bit is that by the time Cody gets out of high school, I'll be seventy years old, and you and Luke will be in your forties."

"Oh god, don't remind me," she groaned. "Thirty is coming my way faster than I'd like it to."

He shook his head with a grin. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. You've got a long ways to go yet, and I'm certainly not going anywhere."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Momma! Come on, Daddy's got your food!" Tyler shouted at the top of his lungs. "Come on, Grandpa!"

"All right buddy, I'm coming," Mark called over with a smile. "He's getting restless."

"He's always on the go. That's why I'm glad Luke got him involved in soccer early."

Mark smirked. "Think he'll follow in Luke's footsteps and become the next great soccer superstar?"

"Maybe," Jaylynn laughed. "Although he tells me that he wants a guitar this Christmas and everyone once in awhile I'll get out the old Fender of Roger's and let him go at it for a few minutes."

"Looks like he just might follow in Roger's footsteps after all," Mark smiled. "Roger would have made a great grandfather."

"I know he would have," she agreed. "But you're not doing so bad of a job yourself."

Mark chuckled and lightly wrapped his arm around Jaylynn's shoulders. "Maybe one day I'll teach him a few chords on the Fender."

Jaylynn smiled. "Now that is something I'd like to see any day." She threw a final smile back at the fireplace mantle, which held memories of the past and would hold memories of the years to come. "But maybe you should just stick to the video camera."

"Hey Mark, Jaylynn?" Sarah had just walked into the hall separating the kitchen and living room with a smile. She held up the digital camera she had in her hand with a laugh. "Can I get a picture?"

"Sure can," Mark grinned. _"Smile!"_

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**THE END**

* * *

Well, I don't know really what to say! It's been a long journey with this story from beginning to end, but I doubt I would have made it this far without the wonderful reviews and many friendships I made over the past eleven and a half months this story has been worked on. At times when I doubted myself and my ability to continue with this story, I'm glad that so many of you pushed me to a conclusion. I'm proud of myself, and as of this date, this is the only story that I have ever written to a conclusion. That's a big milestone to me.

But first, I think some 'thank you's' are in order:

To Jan (Mister Pink): Thank you for being my constant source of entertainment online. We've shared many, many hilarious jokes over the past year and it's been great fun every step of the way. From Wilson to our favorite Trojan Man, we've heard it all. I love the wife! Thank you so much for supporting me! Sticks and stones, love.

To Michelle (DayDreamer731): Thank you for our great AIM conversations and being always willing to help me out every step of the way. You are too sweet, and I'm glad I've gotten to know you. Your talent as a writer continues to amaze me every day. hugs

To Kelby: Thank you for the emails and the support for my stories. I appreciate everything so much, and it's been a pleasure reading through your many reviews. I'm glad you've supported me for this long. I can't wait to read what else you're planning to post, because Another Second Chance was wonderful, and I can tell you already that I'm planning on re-reading it from start to finish this summer.

To DevDev: It's been a pleasure reading your thoughtful reviews. I'm glad you've stuck with me this far, and I appreciate them so much!

I could sit here for hours and thank each and every one of you that contributed to my 360 reviews for this story, but I want you all to know that you are all in my heart and I appreciate all of those reviews. I took the time to read them all, and like I said before, I would have never made it this far without them.

As for the future, I'm not really sure if I plan on writing anymore RENT-fics after November wraps up. I have a few ideas swimming along in my head, but I do have two other non-RENT fics incomplete right now. I'll see what the summer and my senior year of high school brings. =]

It's been a long, sometimes tedious year of writing _Before You Wake_. Sometimes I wanted to pull my hair out, sometimes I wanted to cry, but most of the time I had a lot of fun. This was my release away from the real world, and I'm glad that you all have been with me to share in it. So I guess this is me, saying goodbye and signing off for the last author's note of this story.

-Mari-


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